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GM Denies Rumors, Says Buick Will Remain a Core Brand

A General Motor China official today denied rumors claiming that American automaker intends to sell the Buick nameplate to some local parties, explaining that this particular division is still a core brand for the time being. Furthermore, representatives of SAIC, one of the companies linked with the Buick selling negotiations, denied speculations, pointing that they are more focused on its domestic market share rather than on acquisitions and mergers, gasgoo.com wrote today.

A thing worth mentioning is that GM goes pretty well in China, a market that brought record sales compared to the United States figures. For instance, the Chinese division sold a total of 1,094,561 units last year, representing the second consecutive year when the company exceeded 1 million sold vehicles.

“We are pleased with our sales growth in 2008, which occurred despite an overall market slowdown,” said Kevin Wale, President and Managing Director of the GM China Group. “A series of natural disasters and an increase in fuel prices earlier in the year exacerbated the impact of the global economic downturn in China.”

“Over the next two to three years, we will roll out five or more new products under both of our volume brands, Buick and Chevrolet. These models are being engineered in China for the domestic market by our Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center (PATAC) joint venture,” said Wale. “Our four other brands (Cadillac, Opel, Saab and Wuling) will also bring out new and upgraded models to meet the rapidly changing needs of vehicle buyers nationwide.”

General Motors mentioned in the survival plan sent to the United States government on February 17 that its core brands are Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac and GMC but hasn't mentioned whether it intends to sell some of the other brands.
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About the author: Bogdan Popa
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Bogdan keeps an eye on how technology is taking over the car world. His long-term goals are buying an 18-wheeler because he needs more space for his kid’s toys, and convincing Google and Apple that Android Auto and CarPlay deserve at least as much attention as their phones.
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