....They Killed Pontiac.. because it was only selling really in North America.. 3 to one over Buick.. but in China Buick was better.... NOW.. Buick is still sick in the USA.. and getting sicker at least in the medium & large car segment..... in China.. Food for thought..... with GM in bed with China now.. how long does it take to find.. China as the majority controller of GM.

Automotive News | July 16, 2012 - 12:01 am EST

SHANGHAI -- Although General Motors has maintained overall sales growth in China so far this year, sales of its mid-sized Buick and Chevrolet models have declined sharply. That's a bad sign for a company that has made significant progress building its brands in the world's largest auto market.



Two years ago, thanks to the launch of the redesigned Buick Regal and LaCrosse, Chinese consumers started to view Buick as a premium brand.

Instead of opting for an Audi A4 or A6, buyers often chose a mid-sized Buick for its elegant styling and strong performance.

Then the three major German luxury brands -- Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz -- enacted steep price cuts, and Volkswagen AG launched the new Passat and Magotan.

As German competition heated up, Chinese demand for Buick's mid-sized sedans declined.

In the first five months of this year, sales of the LaCrosse plunged 28 percent year-on-year to 36,600 units, and deliveries of the Regal dropped 1 percent to 31,186 units.
As competition in the mid-sized segment heated up in China, demand for Buick's sedans declined. Sales of the LaCrosse plunged 28 percent through May.

GM introduced another mid-sized model, the Chevrolet Malibu, in China in March. But the Malibu has nothing special to set it apart from the sea of mid-sized sedans marketed by international brands so it has failed to impress Chinese consumers.

From March through June, Shanghai GM sold only 12,000 Malibus in China.

Meanwhile, Cadillac's China sales have remained small. Only 14,616 Cadillacs were sold in China in the first half of this year, according to GM.

In sharp contrast to weak demand for their mid-sized cars, Chevrolet and Buick enjoy robust demand for subcompact and compact cars.

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