Shanghai, July 28 (Gasgoo.com) Shanghai GM, a joint venture in China between Shanghai Motor and General Motors, is set to sell "several" hybrid and electric vehicles in the coming months, GM said in a statement in Shanghai yesterday.
GM and its local partner SAIC Motor will introduce a new Buick LaCrosse and the Chevrolet Volt in the Chinese market next year, the statement said. The two auto giants will complete development of a prototype of the Chevrolet New Sail electric vehicle this year, Bloomberg reported.
As a new part of its "Drive to Green" strategy, Shanghai GM has announced its plans to reduce its vehicles' fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by 15% for the 2011-2015 period while improving performance by 14% at the same time.
To this end, the company is starting to improve and optimize the performance of a traditional internal combustion engine while continuing to roll out hybrid vehicles and promote electric vehicles.
The "Drive to Green" strategy was initiated between 2008 and 2009 when Shanghai GM invested $1.1 billion in powertrain development to launch 10 engines and two hybrid systems now applied to 25 new vehicles, with fuel efficiency improved by up to 13%.
Shanghai GM, as GM's flagship car venture in China, makes vehicles including Buick Excelle and Regal cars. Sales at the joint venture rose 18.9% in June from a year earlier to 71,782 units.
