Buick has long been a favorite of Chinese auto buyers, and the success of the brand shows no signs of slowing down in the immediate future. But, as they say, competition is good for everybody. General Motors isn’t the only company to see a bright, and profitable, future in the Chinese market. Volkswagen, Ford and Toyota are all trying to grab a piece of the booming market.
But it’s Hyundai who has recently topped a state-backed survey of consumers, according to Bloomberg. Chinese auto buyers named Hyundai as the top-ranked mass-market brand in the country. The results just edge the Buick brand, and Volkswagen.
Although deliveries from Hyundai fell during the first quarter of 2015, it didn’t stop Chinese buyers from scooping up nearly every vehicle to land on the brand’s Chinese retail presence. Despite being nudged out of first, Buick vehicles continue to sell as quickly as ever. The Buick brand’s 740 dealerships continue to deliver vehicles at an alarming pace, and over six million vehicles have been sold since the brand’s introduction in 1998. In 2014 alone, 919,582 Buicks were sold to Chinese buyers.
The Chinese Brand Power Index is in its fifth year, and was organized through interviews with over 11,000 Chinese consumers in 30 cities, funded by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology
Comments
Buick to build the Avenir, already has insurance buyers in China
The one limiting factor for Buick is they have much fewer products. That should change in the next couple years. I bet they are still making more per unit.
I don;t know what Hyundai’s arrangement is with the Chinese Govt.
But it’d seem to be difficult for Buick to make more per unit when Shanghai owns 51% of GM’s Chinese business, and GM owns 49%.