Buick Excelle Tops China Car Sales in 2011

⌕ Buick Excelle

The European market leader in 2011 was of course the VW Golf, while the Americans bought Ford F-Series trucks on mass last year. But what about that globally important Chinese market, which is bigger by volume than both these two.

With 254,000 cars delivered, the Buick Excelle was last year’s top seller, according to data provided by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. This is sold in the People’s Republic under three configurations. There’s the Excelle XT, which is identical to the Opel Astra, the Excelle GT that’s basically the US market Verano and the older generation Excelle sedan, which is a bit like the Astra Classic in Europe.

The new Excelle GT sedan has been available since June 2010, built by Shanghai GM, and offered with choice of either a 1.8-liter naturally-aspirated engine that churns out 145 hp or a more potent 1.6-liter turbocharged mill with out 181 hp.

"The Buick Excelle GT leads the way in the midsize segment in terms of design, engineering, manufacturing and quality, making it a benchmark by which all others will be measured. It complements the rest of Buick’s midsize and premium portfolio of products while furthering our commitment to expanding segment coverage, strengthening our brand and maximizing service quality," says Shanghai GM President Ding Lei.

Automotive News reports that GM and VW are both increasing their dominance over the Chinese market, as combined they have seven of the top 10 cars.