Every editor, every reporter, Liu Weiyan
Every reporter, Liu Weiyan
On December 27, with the sound of a loud whistle in the port of Yantai in Shandong Province, 100 Duo Envision vehicles were loaded onto ships and shipped out of the port. These are also the first "Chinese-made" Buick Envision vehicles to be sold in North America.
"About 100 vehicles have been shipped to North America this time," Wang Yongqing, general manager of SAIC-GM, said in an interview with the Daily Economic News. "This is the first time that SAIC-GM has shipped a Chinese-made model to North America."
The Envision exports to the North American market, including the United States, which will boost Buick’s sales in the United States. According to data released by General Motors, GM sold a total of 229,200 new cars in the United States in November, an increase of 1.5% year-on-year; but Buick brand sales in November fell by 16.6% year-on-year, with a total of 15,960 new cars sold. In the first three quarters of this year, Buick brand sold 167,700 vehicles in the United States, down 1.8% from 170,800 vehicles in the same period last year.
It is worth noting that, like the Chinese market, SUVs have successfully become an important pillar of Buick’s sales in the North American market. According to SAIC General Motors, 60% of Buick’s sales in North America come from SUV products. The Buick Envision exported to North America this time is equipped with a 2.0T SIDI direct injection turbocharged engine and does not have a 1.5T model.
"But in the US market, there is no SUV of the size of the Envision. US dealers believe that after the Envision enters the US, it will also usher in better sales performance." Earlier, the relevant person in charge of GM (China) said.
However, Wang Yongqing is still more cautious about Envision’s sales expectations in the United States. "The future sales plan of Envision in the United States still needs to be further negotiated and confirmed with GM."
Envision’s exports to the United States will not only help boost Buick’s sales in the United States, but also serve as an important testament to the Buick brand’s greater reliance on the Chinese market.
On December 27, on the day when more than 100 Envision vehicles set off for the United States, Buick brand sales in China this year have exceeded one million vehicles. With the contribution of sales in the Chinese market, Buick’s global sales this year have reached 1.20 million vehicles.
It is understood that this year, the market in our country is generally cooling down, many brands in China sales targets are facing challenges, Buick brand sales are rising against the trend. According to the data of the Passenger Federation, the Buick brand sold 907,300 vehicles in the first 11 months of this year, an increase of 10.28% year-on-year. In contrast, in the first 11 months of this year, Volkswagen brand sales in China fell 5.1% year-on-year, and Hyundai brand fell 6.87% year-on-year.
Buick brand sales are not unrelated to the Envision. In the first 11 months of this year, Buick brand in China a number of cars, MPV models GL8, and SUV Oncola sales decline trend, the Envision listed at the end of October last year, this year’s sales are increasing month by month, of which November sales have exceeded 20,000, reaching 21,600, an increase of 217.3% year-on-year. At the same time, this year’s new Yinglang, Valeant has become one of the main models of Buick brand sales.
Some analysts believe that next year, as Buick ushers in a new year of products, the introduction of 3-4 new models will further increase sales, and China’s strategic significance for the global development of the Buick brand will become more prominent in the future.