Last Thursday, the cargo ship CSCC Shanghai left Ventura County’s Port Hueneme with a load of near-extinct species bound for Shanghai, China: 2,100 GM big bore Buicks and Cadillacs. A lot of cargo space was also taken-up by gas-gulping Cadillac Escalades. China’s importing the American behemoths like they are going out of style (which, of course, they are). According to China’s General Administration of Customs, SUV imports from January to August surged a whopping 75 percent year-on-year, to 147k units. In fact, SUVs amount for half of the total imported vehicles. (Imported sedans only increased 17 percent.) Even higher gasoline prices and punitive taxes slapped on big displacement vehicles could not suppress China’s appetite for cubic inches. As far as GM’s concerned, China won’t go hungry. GM logistics specialist Don Asdell told the Associated Press that he’s looking at one or two boatloads a month for the Chinese market. Needless to say, there’s more (says so right there).
China will also import more foreign GM technology for domestic production and consumption. Gasgoo reports that GM will bolster its Chinese Buick line with European and American implants. Shanghai GM will use the Delta II platform (think Chevy Cruze) to make its new-generation Buick Excelle. Open source auto intelligence analysts scoured a new car model list recently released by China’s auto industry regulator. They found two new Shanghai GM models, code-named SGM7205 and SGM7241. Further prying revealed that these are longer-wheel based models of the Chinese Buick Regal and LaCrosse, made from the Epsilon II platform (a.k.a. Opel Insignia.) The new models are expected in China’s showrooms by year’s end.
A quick currency exchange shows those prices are around 99 cents US for premium – I assume that is per litre. That’s surprisingly close to current Canadian per-litre prices (currently hovering between 1.00 and 1.15 CAD per litre).
JEC: “those prices are around 99 cents US [per litre] for premium”
My goodness, that’s roughly four bucks a gallon! In a socialist economy, shouldn’t prices be less than what we capitalists pay?
Um, no?
Since China has relative low oil and gas reserves and production, socialism would do nothing to lower the prices.
Besides, they are more capitalistic (and opportunistic) than anyone in the world right now.
Could this explain, partly, anyway, why GM is ramping UP production of SUVs? Is China willing to absorb a lot? Does the falling dollar make them much more attractive in Russia?
Dollar a litre isn’t bad compared to what we were paying about a month ago (1.50 ish). Gas was at a .90 to a buck a litre a year ago before the big spike. Yes, that’s right, we were paying 5.70$ a (US) gallon last month.
Didn’t take the Chinese too long to figure out what the BEST vehicles to own are, did it…
That is very true Wolven, didn’t take long at all to snatch up all those Mercedes and Maseratis. The question still remains though, wtf do they see in Buicks? All those noxious fumes in the Nike factories must really be frying their brains.
:)
Big cars for the elitists… oops I mean for the people!