Ah, another wonderful rendition of the Beijing Opera. Always masterfully produced. Always with the same predictable outcome. A few days ago, Shanghai Security News said that China’s SAIC is interested in buying Buick. The scent was picked up by TTAC, and soon it was all over the net. Predictably, a few days later, when the world had turned to other news, GM China sent a nameless executive to the Guangzhou Daily and said it’s all bunk. General Motors selling Buick to its Chinese joint venture partner SAIC? No way Jose (or whatever the Mandarin equivalent may be.) Cross my heart and swear to die, here is the truth, and nothing but, honestly. . .
“The GM official told the newspaper that Buick will remain to be one of the four core brands of General Motors, and dismissed the earlier news story about GM’s possible selling of its Buick brand as a rumor,” says Gasgoo.
Asked whether SAIC had expressed any intention to buy the Buick brand from its U.S. partner, the GM China executive punted and said that there is no need to comment on “a highly speculative report.”
And here, finally, the good news: GM said its China sales in March rose 24.6 percent from a year earlier to 137,004 vehicles, setting a company record for monthly sales. The strong sales growth is attributed to new product offerings. And here, a giant leap of faith for mankind: GM aims to double its annual sales in China to 2 million vehicles in five years. Good luck with that.
Buick can’t be a core brand. All of its prestige was pissed away in the 80s and 90s when Buick built nothing more than shitty, generic rental cars. It just the absolute shit in China though, so I say let them have it.
In the 80’s, my sister had a Buick Regal and the cop who lived across the street had a Grand National. Those where the days. Or where those the nineties? It’s all a blur now.
Thank you for the gratuitiousness, by the way. She has nicer curves than any current Buick vehicle. Plus, it’s Friday; a nice start to the weekend. Much appreciated!
I see they are offering the Enclave in China now. Is anyone buying it? Is it assembled from a knock-down kit in Shanghai, or actually imported from the US? If imported, I believe it is subject to a nearly 40% tariff, which would make it quite expensive.
However, it’s the only US-model Buick (and thus, not a Daewoo/Opel/Holden) on offer there in the Middle Kingdom.
That is a disgusting car… I wouldn’t be caught dead in it, and I bet Goldie there wouldn’t either. Now, if she comes with the car, I’ll think about it.
But since the GNX was built, has Buick made a decent car? Even that was a (but totally awesome) re-badge of a Monte Carlo.
So I guess I’ve been sleeping under the table, WTF are GM’s 4 (!) core brands, again? And how the hell do they consider themselves to have 4 when everything beyond Chevy, Cadillac, and Opel is a rebadge or just slightly “visually reengineered”?
edit: Okay, maybe they do have 4; Chevy, Caddy, Opel, and Holden. But I bet that’s not what they’re calling their 4 core brands, right? Idiots.
Pity, I think that was the most logical rumor out there, it would figure GM won’t do something that makes sense with their failing brands.
Sorry.
Looking at that picture, all I can think about is Hummer.
Since GM executives are no longer running the company, whatever this nameless executive says is completely irrelevant. If the PTFOA decides GM should dump Buick, it will be done.
I have been reading how China is going to do this and China is going to do that. Yet NOTHING has actually happened. They keep subsidizing their local companies and stealing IP. Socialized organized crime.
Juniper-Personally I tend to view socialism as a form of gov’t organized crime. Rather per definition actually.
The whole idea (selling Buick) makes too much sense and would require more separation from denial for GM management. Sad.
Much better than the scaggy stork in the last Buick show car shot.
Cheerio,
Bunter
Sweet!
Ugly car though. That car been whupped wif a uuugly stick.
> They keep subsidizing their local companies (…)
Just like any other nation on Earth, including the US of A.
I will personally bail-out the babe if needed.