GM to import SUV made in China to US

General Motors Co, the largest automaker in the US, announced that it will import its Chinese-made Envision crossover next summer, becoming the first of the three Detroit auto manufacturers to bring a Chinese-made car to the US market.

GM confirmed on Dec 4 what had been widely reported last month, that it will begin selling the Envision in the US next summer.

The Envision is a midsize crossover sport utility vehicle (SUV). It is made at a plant in Yantai in northeastern Shandong province, which is part of GM's joint venture with SAIC Motor Corp.

GM also reported on Dec 4 that its November sales in China set a record: 346,000 vehicles were sold, a 14 percent increase compared with the same period a year ago on strong demand for its Buick, Cadillac and local Baojun car brand. GM said it sold about 229,000 vehicles in the US, about 17 percent of total domestic sales.

Through the first 11 months of 2015, GM sold 127,000 of the Envisions in China, said Buick spokesman Stuart Fowle. GM did not say how many Envisions it would import. The Wall Street Journal reported last month that GM expects to import between 30,000 and 40,000 vehicles.

Volvo, which is owned by a Chinese company, already exports a sedan made in China into the US.

GM is importing the Envision despite resistance from the United Auto Workers (UAW) union, which recently signed a new contract with the company and wants the crossover made in the US.

"The men and women of GM who are so proud of their role in saving their own company deserve better and so do the American taxpayers who invested so much in GM's future," the UAW stated.

But Buick spokesman Stuart Fowle said that GM is importing the crossover because "adding a second manufacturing facility for the volumes that we would expect in the US just wasn't feasible". "We wanted to take advantage of the manufacturing already in place," he said.

Buick's sedan sales have been down this year, according to GM, which said the Envision would add a needed model to compete in the crossover market of smaller SUVs. Crossover sales in the US are soaring, with both domestic and foreign automakers introducing models.

According to Automotive News, GM designed and engineered the Envision in the US, and consumers can expect to pay more than $30,000 for an entry-level model.

David Whiston, automotive analyst at Morningstar, Inc, said that the Envision would fill an important role in Buick's US lineup.

"GM's importing the Envision could inspire Ford Motor Co and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles to import their Chinese-made models to the US," Whiston told China Daily last month. "A lot will depend on the political fallout and also on what happens to Chinese demand. If China's economy picks up and demand there recovers, GM may have to build the vehicle here in the US."

aiheping@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily USA 12/07/2015 page1)