GM: Chinese made Buicks coming to the US for sale

Yet another in a long line of reasons not to own a Buick, something I never aspire to do.
 
As one intimately familiar with the auto industry as well as Chinese produced product, the answer is a resounding no.
 
Yeah, that's the GM bailout saving all those American jobs.
 
Blatham489 said:
Yeah, that's the GM bailout saving all those American jobs.
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It wasn't meant to save jobs, it was meant to pay back the union pension funds, and the union bosses.
 
docmirror said:
Not SZ sir. Please keep it that way. This is an AUTO thread.
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NP.

If the car build quality is anything like the ones shown on a Top Gear show in 2013, don't care if it was a Buick or Rolls Royce, no thanks.

Just don't lick the paint !!!
 
Will there be more lead in the paint than in the battery?

Will it be an assembly facility, putting together parts made from the normal suupliers? Or will they be getting parts from local suppliers?
 
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pilot_dude said:
As one intimately familiar with the auto industry as well as Chinese produced product, the answer is a resounding no.
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aw c'mon. just give me one example of something manufactured in China and used in the United States having any kind of problem. :lol:
 
From the article-

“For the U.S. consumer experience, there is likely to be little difference between a Buick built at GM’s Orion Assembly plant [near Detroit] or in Shanghai,” Brinley says.
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So the logical conclusion is, why keep the Orion plant open?? Unfortunately, US consumers won't benefit from this move in production one iota. There will be no slashing of the sticker price, just a big increase in corporate profits. People took notice when Apple became the most profitable company in the world and many are modeling themselves to be more like Apple.

The big loser in this is the United States of America. Concentrating all manufacturing of everything into one country, a country that is not all that friendly towards America is a terrible idea and will be our downfall. The downfall is happening right now. The middle class is getting weaker and weaker, the country is going deeper and deeper into debt, manufacturing is almost totally dependent on China, Chinese students are being educated here in our universities by the thousands, Chinese money is coming here to buy up property, companies, assets, talent and the American people are oblivious as to what the likely outcome of this is.

The ruin of America. China won't have to fight us at all. When the collapse comes, they will simply dictate to us what we have to do for them to bail us out. Much like Germany tells Greece what to do. We will be powerless to do anything about it by then.

If we want our country back, we need to ditch all this "free trade" crap and put up trade barriers, just like every other country in the world. We need to protect our manufacturing for the sake of the middle class, but also for the sake of national security.

Yes the barriers, whether it be taxes, or quotas will be disruptive and cause pain here at home. Big companies like GM and Apple will be in trouble, consumer prices will go up and there may even be shortages for a time, but if we ratchet them in slowly and in not to big at first, there will be time to transition back to closer to what it was. We will never be the country of the 1950s-70s again, but we can gain back some of the basic principles of what made us great then.

No, I won't be buying Chinese Buick as long as there is an alternative. However, when there are no more alternatives, I will likely step in line with everyone else and buy my brand new shiny Chinese car. :mad2::(
 
For 2013, there were more Buiks sold in China than the US. Imported from the USA.

And as we all know, China would never steal technology to use for their own profit.
 
I wouldn't own a Buick in the first place.

People still buy those things?
 
rbridges said:
aw c'mon. just give me one example of something manufactured in China and used in the United States having any kind of problem. :lol:
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That too, I can't even buy a pair of boxers made in China that hold together.
 
Dav8or said:
From the article-

"“For the U.S. consumer experience, there is likely to be little difference between a Buick built at GM’s Orion Assembly plant [near Detroit] or in Shanghai,” Brinley says. "

So the logical conclusion is, why keep the Orion plant open?? ....
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That wasn't my response. I couldn't help thinking that Brinley's statement could be viewed as damning the quality of the Orion plant (or maybe the other way around).
 
James331 said:
I wouldn't own a Buick in the first place.

People still buy those things?
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I have the same kneejerk reaction when I hear the name "Buick". However, I used to say the same about Lincolns. Then, I test-drove one, against my will. I almost had to be shamed into driving the thing.

Guess what brand I now own? lol The Lincoln MKS I drive is just a fine piece of kit.

Cars evolve.

Still, the thought of owning a GM product is distasteful, purely for political reasons.
 
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I'm kinda viewing it from a consumer price standpoint. You know, there will be some deflection point price that gets people to write the check. They may start out as same price as the US built version, but once they got on the boat, they are sunk cost almost commodity deals. If they are in a dealer, they will eventually be sold, because there are no more factory buy-backs, particularly when the factory is 8500 ocean miles away. If it starts out at $28,999, then drops to 25,699, then 22,499, then they open the zero down, zero interest deals someone, somewhere will buy them. We will see what we will see if it's going to be profitable once the glut of cars is depleted, or if this may be a one time thing to lower inventory.

Apparently there's a world wide glut of new cars sitting right now, notwithstanding all those little VWs that got fried in the big boom last week.
 
docmirror said:
Not SZ sir. Please keep it that way. This is an AUTO thread.
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It may be an auto thread ,but I believe it should go to the SZ. Just too much politics involved in the whole subject.
 
Up to the mods. Of course, posting folks can surely make it a SZ thread if they want.
 
Jay Honeck said:
I have the same kneejerk reaction when I hear the name "Buick". However, I used to say the same about Lincolns. Then, I test-drove one, against my will. I almost had to be shamed into driving the thing.

Guess what brand I now own? lol The Lincoln MKS I drive is just a fine piece of kit.

Cars evolve.

Still, the thought of owning a GM product is distasteful, purely for political reasons.
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Agreed. I would have laughed about owning a Lincoln a decade ago, but they've managed to reinvent themselves a bit. The MK-series are solid vehicles.

Buick has an even worse image in the marketplace of being the brand that your grandfather drove. I have driven a new Lacrosse or two as rentals in the past year and they aren't bad, but still look boring as can be. I can't speak to the long-term ownership aspect of the Lacrosse, as I only punish them for 2-4 days at a time while on business trips a few times a month.
 
Dav8or said:
From the article-



So the logical conclusion is, why keep the Orion plant open?? Unfortunately, US consumers won't benefit from this move in production one iota. There will be no slashing of the sticker price, just a big increase in corporate profits. People took notice when Apple became the most profitable company in the world and many are modeling themselves to be more like Apple.

The big loser in this is the United States of America. Concentrating all manufacturing of everything into one country, a country that is not all that friendly towards America is a terrible idea and will be our downfall. The downfall is happening right now. The middle class is getting weaker and weaker, the country is going deeper and deeper into debt, manufacturing is almost totally dependent on China, Chinese students are being educated here in our universities by the thousands, Chinese money is coming here to buy up property, companies, assets, talent and the American people are oblivious as to what the likely outcome of this is.

The ruin of America. China won't have to fight us at all. When the collapse comes, they will simply dictate to us what we have to do for them to bail us out. Much like Germany tells Greece what to do. We will be powerless to do anything about it by then.

If we want our country back, we need to ditch all this "free trade" crap and put up trade barriers, just like every other country in the world. We need to protect our manufacturing for the sake of the middle class, but also for the sake of national security.

Yes the barriers, whether it be taxes, or quotas will be disruptive and cause pain here at home. Big companies like GM and Apple will be in trouble, consumer prices will go up and there may even be shortages for a time, but if we ratchet them in slowly and in not to big at first, there will be time to transition back to closer to what it was. We will never be the country of the 1950s-70s again, but we can gain back some of the basic principles of what made us great then.

No, I won't be buying Chinese Buick as long as there is an alternative. However, when there are no more alternatives, I will likely step in line with everyone else and buy my brand new shiny Chinese car. :mad2::(
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I'm tending to agree with you, and I'm a free-market capitalist. The reason I agree is that we have received very little in free trade negotiations, but have lost much. Non-food exports haven't increased as anticipated, but imports have risen exponentially.

Pat Buchanan has written about this extensively.

This country supported itself completely for over 135 years by relying on customs duties, excise taxes, and other ad valorem taxes. I think it's time to revisit that income stream.
 
Bob Noel said:
That wasn't my response. I couldn't help thinking that Brinley's statement could be viewed as damning the quality of the Orion plant (or maybe the other way around).
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That's because you are still thinking everything GM makes is junk. Your personal bias.
 
If the go through with this, these cars better be the best they have ever built. Otherwise, for the next two or three generations, they will be known as, "That's that company that tried to sell those Chinese made cars. Remember them?"
 
Matthew said:
If the go through with this, these cars better be the best they have ever built. Otherwise, for the next two or three generations, they will be known as, "That's that company that tried to sell those Chinese made cars. Remember them?"
Click to expand...


Well if the Chinese build quality follows the Skycatcher, the cars will last almost two years.
 
Matthew said:
If the go through with this, these cars better be the best they have ever built. Otherwise, for the next two or three generations, they will be known as, "That's that company that tried to sell those Chinese made cars. Remember them?"
Click to expand...
Not that that would ever happen.
How's the diesel engine market share in the U.S.? :eek:
 
Matthew said:
How long did the Yugo last? People still talk about those.
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Why does a Yugo have a rear window defroster? To keep your hands warm when pushing

A couple decades ago one of my coworkers had spent time with Yugo. Part of his severance package was two Yugo (Yugi??). He used one for parts to keep the other running.
 
I hear they are going to start exporting the Trabant next. :)
 
Dav8or said:
That's because you are still thinking everything GM makes is junk. Your personal bias.
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Well, I'd be inclined to agree on GM making mostly junk up until a few years ago, lol. The new Impala is nice, and the Corvette always holds its own. The SS would be great if the exterior weren't so damn boring. They botched the GTO in '04-'06, the Camaro has been a day late, dollar short since it was reintroduced. Their trucks/suv's were littered with electrical failures (Delphi) up until after the bailout. I think they're on the right track, though. I still prefer most of Ford's lineup out of the Big 3.
 
Matthew said:
How long did the Yugo last? People still talk about those.
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I know a few farmers in Texas that bought all the Yugos they could find.

The motors make excellent irrigation pump motors. And still running.
 
I agree with a previous poster about following Apple's lead. Why Apple gets a pass on that I'll never understand. And there will come a time we will regret having moved so many jobs to China.

As for Chinese manufacturing, I've mentioned in other threads that they are not as inept as many people here paint them. They can make products within incredible tolerances, if those are the specs given to them. The reason a lot of their products are junk is because the specs didn't call for tight margins.

As for owning a Buick, when they start making a good-looking pickup truck at an attractive price I might own my first Buick.
 
Dav8or said:
That's because you are still thinking everything GM makes is junk. Your personal bias.
Click to expand...

fyi - you are making an assumption regarding my view of GM products.
 
Gerhardt said:
I agree with a previous poster about following Apple's lead. Why Apple gets a pass on that I'll never understand. And there will come a time we will regret having moved so many jobs to China.

As for Chinese manufacturing, I've mentioned in other threads that they are not as inept as many people here paint them. They can make products within incredible tolerances, if those are the specs given to them. The reason a lot of their products are junk is because the specs didn't call for tight margins.

As for owning a Buick, when they start making a good-looking pickup truck at an attractive price I might own my first Buick.
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There are a lot of Buicks on the streets in Beijing today. Long-term, that's a bigger market. Makes sense to have production there. Can't opine on the cost of transportation.
 
The question for me is not where it is assembled, but where were the parts made.

Given a choice between a Toyota made in Japan and one made in the US, I would take the import because it is more reliable. The problems come not from Toyota's assembly plant in the U.S., but from the parts made by various US suppliers. So I look for a VIN that starts with "J" if I shop for a Toyota.

So, where do the parts come from, in a Chinese-made Buick?
 
Gerhardt said:
I agree with a previous poster about following Apple's lead. Why Apple gets a pass on that I'll never understand. And there will come a time we will regret having moved so many jobs to China.

As for Chinese manufacturing, I've mentioned in other threads that they are not as inept as many people here paint them. They can make products within incredible tolerances, if those are the specs given to them. The reason a lot of their products are junk is because the specs didn't call for tight margins.

As for owning a Buick, when they start making a good-looking pickup truck at an attractive price I might own my first Buick.
Click to expand...

Some of us here can remember when "Made in Japan" and "Made in Korea" were also synonymous with "Cheap ****."

Rich
 
nddons said:
Well if the Chinese build quality follows the Skycatcher, the cars will last almost two years.
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I don't want to come off as piling on, but, I am going to pile on, here.
The 162 looked kind of nice, flew very average, and seemed t be built like the designers had a deep commitment to developing fast aging junk.
The plastic stuff looked like cheap plastic, and the things that should have looked sharp were, well, like someone aspired to create the most average product possible at the least possible price, and costing far beyond what it should cost in a rational world.
Sorry for piling on. :yesnod:
The question is always going to be, will they use lead in the paint, and will they make it so cheaply that everyone will hold their noses and pretend it isn't that bad, until it's impossible not to?
 
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James331 said:
I wouldn't own a Buick in the first place.

People still buy those things?
Click to expand...

I said the same thing....until I drove one. Quieter than my Acura, great fit and finish, nice materials, and features for the dollar are impressive. Long term is TBD, but so far I am impressed. FWIW I have a corvette, jeep, Acura, and Honda and my Buick holds it own well.
 
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