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The Buick Royaum at Auto Shanghai 2005

By Steve Shannon
General Manager, Buick

Have you been to Shanghai lately? It’s a young, vibrant, dynamic and technologically advanced city. And, believe it or not, it’s also a city where Buick is a very popular brand.

Few of us think of Buicks being sold anywhere but in the U.S, because Buick is seen as a distinctly American brand. However, Buick is one of the best selling auto brands in Shanghai and in China as a whole.

But that shouldn’t be surprising. After all, Buicks have been on the streets of Shanghai since about 1912. And one story suggests the Chinese were interested in Buick as early as 1906. A Motor Age article that year reports that two men attempting to set a transcontinental speed record in a Buick Model F were doing so in the interests of Yuan Shai Kai, viceroy of a Chinese province, who was interested in introducing the vehicle into China “if they come up to expectations.”

To respond to growing demand for its products, Buick opened a sales office in Shanghai in 1929, and a 1930 Buick advertisement claimed that “one out of every six cars [in China] is a Buick,” and that “Buick owners are mostly the leading men in China.” It has been confirmed that Pu Yi, China’s last emperor, owned at least one Buick in the 1920s.

In addition to Pu Yi, at least two other major Chinese political figures were identified with Buicks in the early 20th century: Sun Yatsen, first provisional leader of the Chinese Republic, was photographed in a Buick in Shanghai in 1912; and Zhou En-Lai, a popular president of more recent times, kept a 1941 Buick at his home at Shanghai.

The relationship between Buick and China goes far beyond sales figures and dignitaries though. GM and Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) signed a joint venture agreement on March 25, 1997, in China’s Great Hall of the People. A plant was built, and the first Chinese Buick was driven off the assembly line on Dec. 17, 1998.

A 2001 survey found that Buick had a brand familiarity rating of more than 85 percent in China. Perhaps that’s why a recent article pointed out that Buick has been Shanghai GM’s passenger car leader since the first Regal came off the Shanghai GM line.

So, yes, the young and hip in Shanghai have made Buick popular there, and sales are strong throughout China. We at Buick are really proud of that.

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By Bob Lutz
GM Vice Chairman

Lots of minivan talk going on… let me just make one thing clear: Nobody said GM is getting out of the minivan business forever. We simply pulled a minivan option out of the running for one of our architectures. We reserve the right to initiate whatever future product programs we feel the market desires, up to and including new generations of minivans if we deem them necessary and desirable.

That’s really the key to everything, of course: the market. And we think the case for another new entry at this point in a market is trending away from minivans just doesn’t make a lot of sense.

Look, the minivan was a great idea, and a fine product. It pulled Chrysler out of the frying pan during some desperate times. But obviously in recent years a stigma has attached itself to the minivan and won’t let go. Same thing happened to station wagons in this country before the minivan came along.

And beyond that stigma, the minivan is hurt by the many other choices available to customers. SUVs have been conquesting minivan sales for years, and now crossovers will take even more.

Enclave interior

Our new trio of crossover utilities — the GMC Acadia, Saturn Outlook and Buick Enclave — should not be compared to minivans; they are a totally different animal. But do we expect them to take sales from minivans? Absolutely. Just like we expect them to take sales from traditional SUVs.

These vehicles can carry eight people comfortably, have plenty of hauling space, and have a fuel-efficient 275-hp V6. And they have better road manners and vehicle dynamics than any minivan I’ve ever driven. Not that I’m comparing. But if I were, I know what would win!

These three crossovers will do nicely in the market for us, I believe, and, for now, we don’t see the need to offer minivans any longer, for many reasons. Do you?

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By Alicia Dorset Blog editor Don’t forget to check out our Flickr albums for this month’s calendar. December features a photo of the GM Design Center and a 1966 Camaro from the GM Media Archive….

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By Bob Lange
Executive Director, Vehicle Structure and Safety Integration

I woke up about 4:15 this morning, which is rare because I usually sleep really well and the alarm usually is set for 5 a.m. But I was pretty excited about coming to work today because it is opening day for our new Rollover Crash Facility. This is really huge for several reasons, but the biggest ones are making our vehicles safer and learning more about what causes injuries in rollover crash.

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Saturn PreVue

By Bob Lutz
GM Vice Chairman

I’m often asked about Saturn, and although I’ve talked a lot about it over the past year, it’s worth revisiting because it seems every time you turn around there’s something new to say.

Later this month, Saturn will launch the all-new Vue SUV at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The industry got a preview of it last April in New York with a concept called, ironically enough, the PreVue. And more was revealed at the Paris show in September when we unveiled its cousin, the Opel Antara.

We’ll have more details and photos of the new Vue in less than two weeks, after the L.A. introduction. We’re hoping for the same great reception that the Aura sedan has been getting — its reviews have been terrific. Generally speaking, the press recognizes not only the refinement of the Aura but also the structural integrity of GM’s global midsize architecture.

Opel Antara

That’s the same approach we’re taking with the Vue. It will share architecture and some components with the Antara and other vehicles, but its character and design vocabulary will remain Saturn, through and through.

In GM’s new world of product development, we are leveraging global resources and strengths like never before, and the results are beginning to show more clearly with each auto show introduction — there will be more at Detroit in January, and on the rest of the 2007 show circuit.

For Saturn specifically, that means better products, and more of them. We are doubling its product lineup in the course of a year, and broadening its scope of offerings in the process. And all along, Saturn and Opel will benefit from each other’s expertise.

This will ensure that Saturn’s future products sport European design flair and sharp road-handling. They’ll have bold exterior styling, and highly refined interiors, which is an intense focus of all of GM Global Design at present.

Saturn and Opel are a natural fit. They share similar demographics and brand positioning in their respective markets. Their collaboration means that each brand will have strong, broad product lineups, created as cost-effectively as possible. And, they won’t share everything. For example, I can’t see the Opel Zafira being sold in North America, just as I can’t see the new Saturn Outlook in Europe.

If anyone needed proof that GM is ready to fight back, is willing to make the sacrifices necessary to cut costs and improve revenue, and is able to sustain this turnaround and put the best new cars and trucks possible on the road while doing so… look no further than Saturn for that proof.

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