New Buick Excelle spotted in China and headed our way
If one were to observe nothing more than car buyers in the U.S. and China, specifically those in the market for a Buick, this is what they’d see: in the U.S., a retired, married couple in their mid-60s is paging through a phonebook for the address of Buick dealerships in Ft. Myers; in China, a married couple in their late 20s gets off well-paying jobs to go check out the latest Buick Excelle in Beijing. Yes, the market for Buicks in China is populated by a youthful, well-heeled consumer base. In fact, GM is the best selling foreign automaker in the country, and China is Buick’s largest market. In 2009 GM sold over four times as many vehicles in China as in the U.S.
In news that could perhaps be taken as a sign that GM might eventually try to leverage their Buick success in China into the U.S. market, they will be making the Excelle, a coupe-like sedan sold exclusively in China as of now, available in the U.S. sometime soon. The Excelle is based off of the Opel Astra and is essentially a four-door version of it. Another thing to mention here is that a new GT version of the Excelle has recently been spotted in China. There are reports this next generation vehicle could be getting the 2.0-liter direct-injected turbo from the mid-sized Regal in 220-hp trim, which would be an upgrade from this generation’s XT engine which is a turbocharged 1.6-liter with 184 hp. The GT will be marked to more aesthetically conscious consumers and the XT for those watching their wallets.
One important byproduct of GM’s success in China is that executives intimate it has allowed them to absorb some of the incurred costs here in the U.S. Still, the markets at this point are way different between the two countries. It’s hard to imagine Buick, even with the Excelle set to make its North American debut in the upcoming months, significantly altering its U.S. consumer base to one that resembles China. Yet, who knows, maybe one day a common sketch of U.S. life will include a married couple in their late 30s checking their PDA to see where the nearest Buick dealers in Naples are.