Gasgoo.com (Shanghai August 18) - With the impending market debut of the 1.8 L powered variant of its own brand Baojun 630, SAIC-GM-Wuling's top-selling own brand looks to cover even more of the Chinese automobile market. In a report appearing on Gasgoo.com (Chinese) today, the manufacturer announced that sales for the 630 have exceeded 60,000 units since its launch last August.

Currently, only 1.5 L manual and automatic versions of the Baojun 630 (pictured) are being sold in the country, with prices ranging between 60,000 yuan and 80,000 yuan ($9,470-$12,627). They will soon be joined by a 1.8 L version of the car later this month. Although official pricing information has yet to be revealed, internal sources have confirmed that it will not exceed 100,000 yuan ($15,784).

The new Baojun's engine will come from GM's Ecotec series, notable for its high efficiency and low emissions. 1.8 L Ecotec engines also power the Chevrolet Cruze and Buick Excelle GT.

Shanghai GM Wuling has previously stated its intent to add new models to the Baojun brand. In a recent interview, Wang Jieqiang, platform engineer for the 630 and deputy general manager of the Liuzhou branch of the Shanghai GM's Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center, confirmed that there are plans to have the brand expand into the subcompact and SUV fields. Mr. Wang added that there is a possibility that the 630 will be available with the turbocharged 1.5 L engine available in SAIC's own brand Roewe vehicles. A hatchback 630 is reportedly also in the works.

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