In August, Reuters said most Buicks sold in the us after 2016 could be imported from China, with a few production also shifted to Europe.
Advertisement
Buick SUVs are selling well this year in China.
Automotive News reports that General Motors is going ahead with plans to sell the Envision in the USA, possibly as early as this spring.
GM, the top U.S. automaker, is to introduce the Buick Envision, a midsize sport-utility vehicle (SUV) made in Shandong Province, the Journal said, citing unidentified people familiar with the plan.
Buick spokesman Nick Richards declined to comment on future product plans on Thursday.
Imports will initially be limited to 30,000-40,000 units annually, allowing the automaker to test the waters with a controversial strategy that may not prove fruitful if United States buyers are wary of driving a Chinese-made vehicle.
The UAW has agreed a tentative four-year labor contract with GM and is pushing members to ratify it.
But analysts do not expect the UAW to put up a bitter fight against the Buick plans after securing US wage increases and job guarantees in bargaining talks.
Volvo, which is now owned by a Chinese company, began importing a Chinese-made vehicle to the USA, the S60 Inscription, earlier this year.
Buick has been one of GM’s fastest growing brands in the USA, and it is the company’s most well-known brand in China.
Advertisement
GM shares lost 1.3 percent at US$35.09 on Thursday in a sharply lower market. But apparently that did not include tooling for and an assembly plant allocation for the Envision.
