Buick Enclave to be imported next year; no plan for local production

Shanghai. September 27 (Gasgoo.com) - Shanghai General Motors will import Buick Enclave SUV to Chinese market next year, the company's public relations official said yesterday.

"Shanghai GM has no plan to produce Enclave SUV locally in China, but the model will be imported and sold in Shanghai GM's dealer stores next year," the company's PR official said.

Under an agreement reached by General Motors and Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC), Shanghai GM will import 5,000 Buick Enclave vehicles annually to Chinese market in the next four years.

While Enclave SUV is priced at about US$32,000 per unit, the price will jump to US$40,000 in Chinese market because of customs duties, shipping, logistics and other costs, analysts said.

Based on GM Lambda platform, Buick Enclave will be available in CX and CXL trim levels, with eight exterior and three interior colors, front-wheel or all-wheel drive, a new 275-horsepower V-6 powertrain featuring variable valve timing (VVT) and mated to Buick's first six-speed automatic transmission.

In 2006, General Motos (China) sold 876,747 vehicles in Chinese market, topping all automakers in Chinese markets. The company hopes to sell over one million vehicles this year.