Is Buick a Joint Venture or Domestic Vehicle?

[RafaelLynn]

Buick is a joint venture brand, manufactured and assembled domestically in China. The Buick lineup includes the all-electric Velite 6, LaCrosse, Regal, Verano, Excelle GT, and other models. Taking the Excelle as an example: its exterior dimensions are 4609mm in length, 1798mm in width, and 1486mm in height, with a wheelbase of 2640mm. It has a fuel tank capacity of 44L and features a 4-door, 5-seater sedan body structure. The Excelle is equipped with a 1.3T turbocharged engine paired with a 6-speed automatic transmission, delivering a maximum horsepower of 163 HP, a peak power of 120 kW at 5500 rpm, and a maximum torque of 230 Nm.

[DeVanessa]

To understand Buick's identity, after spending a long time in China, I've realized that Buick is indeed a joint venture car. Although it's an old American brand, most Buick vehicles you see in China are actually produced by SAIC-GM Buick. SAIC-GM is a joint venture established by Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) and General Motors (GM) of the United States. Interestingly, many of these Buick-badged cars are developed domestically in China, with numerous components also being locally sourced, and even the design teams are Chinese. In fact, Buick sells remarkably well in China, whereas it's not as popular in its home country, the US. So, while it's a foreign brand, it's essentially a Chinese car with an American badge.

[SanAbigail]

When I visited the 4S store earlier, the salesperson told me that Buick had already relocated its R&D center to China. It's quite difficult to find a purely American Buick nowadays, as most models bear the 'China-exclusive' tag. Popular models like the Excelle and Envision are prioritized for domestic launch, with manufacturing plants firmly established for years in cities like Shenyang, Shanghai, and Yantai. These vehicles are tailored to Chinese preferences—lengthened wheelbases, redesigned interior styles, and even suspension tuning optimized for local road conditions. While GM provides core engine technology, the essence of these models has become thoroughly localized.

[Jimenez]

I have personally witnessed their factory operations, from the stamping workshop to the assembly line, where Chinese workers account for over 90% of the workforce, and the supply chain system is also supported by domestic suppliers. If you carefully observe the nameplate on the car body, it doesn't say 'Made in USA' but 'SAIC-GM'. Of course, the core platform is still provided by GM, but localized parts make up 70-80% of the components. My colleague's Buick Regal even has an infotainment system co-developed with Baidu, supporting the full suite of China's internet ecosystem.