That's not exactly how Reuters spins the news that GM and its mandatory Chinese partner (Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp) have announced plans to build a hybrid vehicle in China by next year's Olympics. But you gotta give Reuters credit for sensing that selling hybrids to the Chinese market is what the Brits call a "non-starter." "Demand for hybrids is negligible in China, where fuel economy figures little in consumers' purchasing decisions,' reporter Chang-Ran Kim writes. "Hybrid cars are also expensive since the government offers no incentives on their purchase. Toyota Motor Corp is currently the only carmaker that builds a hybrid car in China. It sold just 2,000 of the Prius hybrid last year." Although the scribe reckons the Chinese hybrid is a part of GM's wider greenwashing campaign, what's the bet those Chinese-made hybrid powertrains find their way into GM's other markets?
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The powertrains my very well be for other markets, but I’m not sure demand for hybrids is the issue so much as future regulation. From what I’ve read, the Chinese government is concerned about the fact that China now has to import large amounts of oil. I guess they’re a little nervous about global petro-politics–can’t imagine why. There’s also concern about the country’s horrendous air quality and rapidly growing greenhouse gas emissions.
those powertrains may sneak into other GM vehicles in the future, but not for AT LEAST 10 years…
I wonder when we will be seeing a hybrid Chery or whatever on the market. I bet not far down the road.
That is too bad. With all of the military and consumer problems we are currently having with China, I personally will not buy things made there. While it is difficult to find certain products not made there, when it comes to vehicles, it is a no brainer. I will be buying my hybrid from someone else.
Sorry GM, but you lost another customer.
Redbarchetta :
I wonder when we will be seeing a hybrid Chery or whatever on the market. I bet not far down the road.
From puregreencars.com:
On the other side, Chinese automakers are planning to sell their hybrids in US and EU market from 2009.
Chery and BYD Auto Co. wants to start volume exports of its own-brand cars to the United States and Europe in the second half of next year or early 2009. The automakers says it will display plug-in hybrids and electric cars at the Detroit auto show in January.
well this should be good for the environment.
save a gallon of gas and dump a barrel of PCBs in the river.
Sorry, but your headline “GM to outsource hybrid powertrains to China” is grossly misleading. It’s based on pure speculation, and no facts. This does not belong in a “news” blog.
Have you considered that GM could much more easily export a few of its perfectly fine hybrid powertrains from the US to China rather than develop a new one from scratch in China?
BerettaGTZ, I looked the articles over closely, including the Reuters article and I did not see anything that said that GM was developing a new one from scratch in China. What am I missing? I see it as being manufactured in China, not developed.
a few of its perfectly fine hybrid powertrains
Huh!