Chinese Buick Park Avenue
Chinese Buick Regal
Chinese Buick Riviera shown in the Auto China 2008 Car Show
Chinese Buick Wuling Mini Car
Posted on 05/05/2009 3:12:52 PM PDT by Republican Party Reptile
SHANGHAI, China — As General Motors sales continue to tank in the United States, the automaker is racking up impressive gains in China, where sales shattered another record in April.
GM sales in China jumped 50 percent in April, to 151,084. In comparison, GM's U.S. sales last month plunged 33 percent to 172,150.
The Buick brand in particular is on a tear in China. Where Buick dealers in the U.S. sold only 8,928 vehicles in April, in China they delivered 38,071 — a 64 percent increase over the previous year.
GM, however, is seeing the greatest growth spurt in minivehicles, where it is represented by a minority interest in the Shanghai-GM-Wuling joint venture. SGW sales in China totaled 95,544 in April, a jump of 61 percent. The total would have made Wuling the number-four brand for sales in the U.S. last month, behind Ford, Chevrolet and Toyota.
The Wuling Sunshine, a microvan popular with rural customers and first-time buyers, was China's bestselling vehicle in April, tallying 50,491 units.
"Coming off a record month in March, GM is very satisfied with the ongoing strength in domestic sales of both of our joint ventures," said Kevin Wale, president of the GM China Group. "We are particularly pleased with the resurgence of the Buick brand. Our new-product offensive, which is still in its early stages, has helped get customers into our showrooms and increase demand across the board."
Chinese Buick Park Avenue
Chinese Buick Regal
Chinese Buick Riviera shown in the Auto China 2008 Car Show
Chinese Buick Wuling Mini Car
Ya gotta hand it to the Chinese.
They KNOW quality!
Wuling Sunshine?!?
Is that what the Chinese call Obama or is that a GM car?
Forgive me there, for that rascist joke, there Lord, and be with all them undocumented citizens in the whitehouse.....
I suggest if you want a vehicle to hold up to rough roads, giant pot holes etc, ya get a truck or a jeep, not a get to work and back vehicle designed for smooth roads and freeways.
Ya gotta hand it to the Chinese.
They KNOW quality!
Damn good one!!!! ,
I said several years ago that I could make GM profitable overnight by pulling it completely out of the US market and selling only overseas and in South and Central America. GM only takes horrific losses in North America where many Americans think they can’t build good cars. In Europe and other parts of the world (excepting Japan of course) where there is a level playing field, GM sells just as many cars as Toyota.
Imagine that. All of these people in Europe, the middle east, Central and South America could all own nothing but Toyotas and Hondas, yet they chose to own GMs and Fords. Boggles the mind.
Then here in the USA, where GM has constantly lost market share to Americans who still perceive GM is inferior, they are getting their heads handed to them.
And for all of those confused why GM dumped Saturn and Pontiac while keeping Buick with it’s anemic US sales volumes, this is why. GMs best chance for profitability is massive expansion in China.
well, when it’s company assigned car one doesn’t get to choose (as with most foreign multi-nationals in China, they have a car fleet for temp use by expat employees). Besides, Shanghai IS a major city, not exactly the outbacks. Just lots of bad road condition due to construction in some of the new outlaying industrial development areas.
I do believe the quality will improve. The final test is when they bring Chinese made cars to American shores (and Japanese shores as well). My bet is that during the next decade, the US, EU and Japan will have a gusher of Chinese made cars.
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