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Report: GM To Sell Chinese Cars In U.S. In 2011



May 12, 2009 16 Comments ›› Erik Wong

chinese-car

Fox News

Motown may be moving east. Far east.

The latest twist in Detroit’s do-over has General Motors becoming the first automaker to import Chinese-built cars into the United States, according to Automotive News.

Citing a leaked document shown to lawmakers who are overseeing the restructuring of the auto giant, the newspaper reports that GM is planning to market made in China cars to American consumers as early as 2011, the same year the company’s heralded Chevrolet Volt electric car goes on sale.

General Motors is currently the best-selling foreign automaker in China, and Buick is number one brand overall, part of the reason that the nameplate was saved during a recent round of cuts that included the elimination of Pontiac. As an example of the growing influence of that marketplace on the company, the interior of the upcoming replacement for the Buick LaCrosse sedan was designed at a GM studio in Shanghai.

According to the report, GM plans to sell nearly 18,000 Chinese-made vehicles in the US in 2011, with that number rising to over 50,000 by 2014.

General Motors currently imports the Chevrolet Aveo and Pontiac G3 from South Korea, and several other models from Canada, Mexico and Europe. The United Auto Workers union has been critical of any plans to move more production overseas.


  • tarpon

    Why would anyone buy a commie car? They got a death wish or something? One thing the commies do not get is materials science, like structural steel, bolts things like that.

  • Z

    are they gonna sell the death van?

  • SgtJenz

    I’ll never buy another GM vehicle.
    They should rename GM to BCM. BamaCommieMotors

    • Randy

      Same here. GM will never get another penny of my hard earned money. It’s that simple.

      On another issue, follow the money. What deals have been cut to give China the green light to sell in the US. Follow the money.

  • Sully

    The Chinese are gettin the hang of ‘pay to play’.
    More to come.

  • http://twitter.com/ArchInfidel ArchInfidel

    Well there is the death warrant, just a matter of time now.

    GM (made in china)

    who would of thought it would come to that?

  • Andy

    Here’s a video of the Chinese “Land Wind” SUV crash test:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9OlxjkInWg

    • ji

      I kept waiting for the car to stop, but it crumpled up like an aluminum can.
      That comment about using a shotgun shell vs an airbag was too funny.

  • GRIZZ

    Who will by these pieces of shit?Cant we make American cars without the unions? HELL YES YOU CAN.Tarpon makes a great point too.Working construction all my life,I cant tell you what pos tools the dinks make.They suck.Everything breaks within the first two days of real man work.Fuck china Fuck the unions and FUCK YOU OBONZO…..

    • ji

      I know what you mean GRIZZ. I have to make building repairs. I DONT use made in China crap.
      The screw heads break off as soon as you use them and the nails bend in half with one hit.
      The tools they make are throwaways. They are cheap, but if they break you throw them away.
      American made stuff is way better, but the prices are going through the roof.
      $50 bolt cutters, $20 wrenches, etc.

  • DesignR

    WOW!

    You thought GM cars were junk before. Wait ’til this crap hits the streets.

  • rise up

    so instead of making cars like you know a car factory should…they buy from china? umm….

  • BTJoe112

    Yugo #2. Just buy Ford.

  • TedB

    I will crush them in my ’64 Pontiac Catalina. :twisted:

  • Right Wing Witch

    Hmmm – after boatloads of tainted Heparin, lead in kid’s toys, defective automotive tire valve stems, defective building materials – but in pursuit of “cheap” we foolishly continue to buy their stuff.

    Winston Churchill is alleged to have once quipped something to the effect that “Americans will always do the right thing, after they have exhausted all other options.” So when are we going to get a clue?

    I learned from my grandfather that buying cheap was often false economy. Buy quality, but at a good price. He always drove gently-used Lincolns.

    It’s my understanding that one of the all-time most popular imported cars in China are Buicks, IMHO about the only GM division that puts out consistent quality.

    I like Buicks. One of them saved my life when some clueless dipshit plowed into me at 65 mph – but that’s another story. If I could still afford to drive a tank of a Buick or Lincoln, I would.

    Right now I have an ’95 Saturn with well over 250k miles on it. It still delivers 33 mpg in the city and about 40mpg on long road trips – all that while burning and/or leaking a quart of oil every thousand miles or so. I just replaced the original clutch. A Saturn mechanic told me to keep the car as long as possible as (his exact words) “we don’t build them that good anymore”. I believe him.

    And we wonder why our auto industry is circling the drain. If we could build something that good 14 years ago – why not now?

    LOL – like we don’t already know the answer. Despite a rough start, Saturn was a good company building good cars until GM (a.k.a. “Generally Mediocre”) let the bean counters take over.

    Hmm – now we have the prospect of GM-badged Chinese cars . . . with that in mind, here is something that was brought to my attention over the weekend by a person who is very knowledgable about scooters:

    The alleged “anti-lock braking system” that is hailed on Chinese-made scooters is better described as a “Anti-Braking System”. Instead of a chip-driven solenoid rapidly pumping the brakes like what we have had in our cars and trucks for years, this alleged ABS system is nothing more than a diverter valve that dumps about 50% of the braking energy away from the calipers under hard braking. In other words, when you need your brakes the most, you are not likely to have them. Comforting thought as you sail over the hood of the fool who pulled out in front of you. Suddenly that cheap scooter doesn’t sound like much of a deal.

    Let’s just see if these Chinese cars pass EPA and DOT regulations and . . . oh wait a minute – who is running the government regulatory system now? The same executive branch brought to you by ACORN – corruption – what corruption?

  • ji

    I have to drive a Chevy company vehicle. The Anti lock brakes really suck.
    True when you really need brakes they are not there.
    I have had 3 accidents, because it takes twice as long to brake. These are accidents where the other guy does something stupid so I have to brake right away.
    You can feel the brakes brake then not brake then brake then not brake. Its a scary feeling having your foot on the brake and your not stopping.
    So when driving a chevy I stay a long way from the other guy.