General Motors said on Dec. 4, 2015, that it would start selling the Buick Envision, a compact SUV built in China, in the USA in 2016. The New York Times reported it would be the first time any of the three Detroit automakers had brought a Chinese-made vehicle to the U.S. market.
Where the Envision is built
- The Envision is made at GM’s joint-venture plant in Yantai, in China’s Shandong Province. The Times said GM had sold more than 120,000 in China since the vehicle was introduced there.
- Reuters reported it would be the first GM model imported from China for sale in the USA. Buick spokesman Stuart Fowle told Edmunds that GM had imported “some engines from China, but no full vehicles.”
- The Times said import volumes were not expected to be large. It said GM had spare Envision capacity at the Chinese plant and was testing the vehicle for changes to suit U.S. buyers.
Why GM did it
Buick’s U.S. sales were down 3% through November 2015 as buyers shifted from sedans to SUVs. “When it goes on sale in 2016, it will play an important role in a crossover lineup that represents 60 percent of Buick sales in North America,” GM marketing executive Duncan Aldred said.
Reuters said the announcement came two weeks after GM’s unionized U.S. plant workers ratified a new labor contract. Volvo, which is owned by a Chinese company, already sold a China-made sedan in the USA.
Source & credit
Sources: The New York Times: “G.M. Will Import Buicks Made in China to the U.S.”, Dec. 5, 2015; Reuters: “First GM China-made import to U.S. to go on sale in mid-2016”, Dec. 4, 2015; Edmunds: “2016 Buick Envision Arrives in Showrooms Next Summer”, Dec. 7, 2015; Jalopnik: “America’s Next New Buick Will Be Made In China”, Dec. 4, 2015.