2016 Buick Envision: First Impressions
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The 2016 Buick Envision is a bigger deal than it seems. Some may see just another midsize crossover playing in the luxury CUV segment. Others know Buick desperately needs this vehicle. Those paying attention know it’s the first General Motors vehicle to be imported from China for North American consumption.
That’s why we took plenty of time to familiarize ourselves with the 2016 Envision during the 2016 North American International Auto Show. Below, you’ll find our first thoughts and impressions on the luxury crossover. And, do join in the conversation in the comment section below, too.
Exterior
There’s nothing wrong in saying the 2016 Envision doesn’t push Buick’s current design language. We say that because the staff has agreed it’s a pretty handsome looking crossover. The sculpture flows well, and the Envision’s lines draw the eye into all the right places.
No, it’s not the sexiest piece of hardware roaming the roads, but it’s a looker, no doubt. Sam McEachern called the design “very approachable”, Aaron Birch felt the looks were a tad too “MPV” for his tastes and Anthony Herta simply stated the design as “handsome.”
Interior
Again, nothing here is necessarily raising the bar, but it’s very good. Much of our staff liked the encompassing feeling the dashboard gives when sitting up front, and Herta quite liked the small-diameter steering wheel; something he described as a sporty touch.
One thing Buick engineers were keen to point out was the use of soft-touch materials everywhere. And, they were right. Anywhere your hand will be gracing is soft to the touch. You’d have to really be trying to have your hand brush up against typical General Motors plastic, and we commend Buick for that.
All of us agreed the butterfly center console was certainly useful, and very neat in operation. It allows for one passenger to still rest their arm on the console, while the other begins digging for whatever the search brings.
One thing in particular I didn’t care for was the glossy wood all over the center stack. It does look nice, but prepare for fingerprint city. Population: the front seat passengers.
Rear legroom is a big win for the 2016 Envision. Having spent quite a bit of time in the Lincoln MKC, the 2016 Envision felt like a limousine in comparison, and very comfortable. That’s definitely the Chinese influence showing through.
Build Quality
This is normally a category that would not need defining but, since its Chinese country of origin comes up more often than not, we want to report the 2016 Envision felt very solid in every manner. Panels were tight fitting, and nothing felt flimsy or sloppy. Door contact felt good, too, with a nice solid slam. Ditto on the rear hatch.
So, there you have it. We’ll leave you with a few memorable quotes from what the staff had to say.
The real test will be how it drives, but signs are looking strong, with a 250 horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder, all-wheel drive, and an emphasis on peace and quiet. – Aaron Birch.
It’s going to sell like Chinese hotcakes. – Sean Szymkowski
A seemingly strong product that has arrived at just the right time. The only hang-up is, again, with the old-school six-speed automatic transmission, but I’m sure GM has plans to replace it. – Sam McEachern
Looks like Buick has a winner on its hands. – Anthony Herta
Once the whole “made in China” shock blows over, the new Buick Envision has a lot of sales potential. – Manoli Katakis
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Women are going to go crazy for this thing.
Total Fem-mobile
I drive a 2006 Rendezvous that drives today like it did when bought, including the three wheel bearings that were replaced because the experts at GM neglected to provide 4 axle dust caps, now installed for $11.00 total.
This looks like a possible replacement except for the four banger, not my choice. Not enough motor.
But your Rendezvous is only putting out 242hp @ 6000 rpm and 232 lb·ft @ 3500 rpm . You can see GM’s 2.0L Turbo putting out 259hp @ 5500 rpm and 295 lb·ft @ 1700 rpm (Yes, 1700).
242hp assuming its at it peak operating condition
Yeah, my Dad has a 2005 Rendezvous and it seems like they just don’t make them that anymore. If you wanted a similar Buick today, you’d have to buy an Enclave for the cargo space and an Envision for the exterior dimensions. It’s virtually impossible to find a CUV or an SUV today that has the same cargo space at the Rendezvous for around the same price. The closest you could probably do is the Traverse, but that’s probably at least 10 grand more.
And as for the (supposed) power issue. I do not think it will be a problem for people familiar with the Rendezvous. The top of the line V6 you could get with it could only pump out 240hp, whereas with the Envision you’d be getting 260hp pushing around the same amount of curb weight, I believe.
As I recall cars since the late 90’s with FWD/AWD have been using sealed hub bearings on them front and rear.
Being that they would not have or need caps.
Yes i just checked and there are no dust covers as the Rendezvous and Aztek does have 4 sealed bearings.
For the negative look up the parts they never had any dust covers on the hubs.
Disgusted with Buick now , it’s bad enough the Chinese have erased our manufacturing industry in appliances and textiles etc , but now are going to start producing the second most expensive item we buy after a home ! This brutal communist dictatorship , where worker rights are zilch and worker benefits minimal . All for the sake of fat profits , oh yes , GM will make some fancy dollars selling these to North Americans who have only one philosophy , ” I’ll buy it if it’s sold for less than the competition . The deal is everything , and as the employee wages/benefits make up a huge part of the cost in manufacturing , we cannot not compete with this modern communist industrial giant . Mark my words , this import of the Envision is only a tip of the iceberg . More Buicks and Cadillacs are probably being slated for import from China . We used to be a proud Continent , proud of our ability to provide for our people , with strong industries and growth therein that would one day be a place of work for our children . Now , many are lucky to find a job in the poor waged retail sector , working two jobs to get by ……shame on all of us !!
Exactly, and all of the GM’s that are being sold in China are built there. China doesn’t want the US made GM, they want the Chinese-built GM
The reason why GM and other manufacturers do not want to bring vehicles into China is due to their extremely high import tariffs period.
As much as 45% I have read in the past. That makes any model that is brought in highly uncompetitive.
We need the same tariffs for China and 15 percent for allied nations.
No one will buy new cars without good jobs as noticed by Henry Ford.
I like Envision with it’s BMW meets Volvo design language.b
So much for capitalism huh?
China taxes the hell out of USA cars. We should be doing the same.
companies are motivated by profits and there is nothing that is going to change that.
if you want your kid to get a good job, make sure they can do something that can’t be replaced by a machine or a worker 1/2 way around the world can do for much less.
Yup
The Chinese didn’t erase any industries. WE opened up economic relations with China. Our leaders did this to us — and it seems we all sat back not quite understanding what was coming. I, for one, have never understood why Cuba was cancer to America but China a business partner. Come again?
You suggest that getting a good buy is some sort of illness. Within a capitalist society? Since when? The entire point of capitalism is to have products improve while prices drop. Understand I’m not defending capitalism as a going concern. I agree it’s a disease that sickens everything it touches — including the planet.
My concern isn’t this Buick. My concern is a Chinese car called Larry which is only $9500 and is perfect for 2 people and under. Yeah, Larry doesn’t actually exist. Yet. But when it does — things will get interesting.
I got a good buy on some lead-based Chinese toothpaste.
But good deals aren’t limited to China,
I’m setting up a company to sell them Flint tap water.
Capitalism works both ways. Who’s in with me?
Yes Bill Clinton started this.
Why is China more important than Cuba. Just look at the number of people in China now with money vs. the few people in Cuba let alone with out money.
It is simple economics and you can not chose who controls what but you can gain advantages with what you have.
Socialist like Sanders do not understand but even the Commies are now learning how the game is played. .
Yes China is communist and no I am no fan of them. But you need to stop all the Union bullshit.
The fact is China has made themselves economically relevant and they can not be ignored.
The fact is most companies were driven there for two reasons. The largest consumer market in the world and the fact Unions here drove the cost of making products to the point that no one was willing to pay for them anymore.
Many Unions before some learned drove business out of this country. I know I lost one job to Mexico because of the Union. The item we were making was so expensive as it was sales were dropping.
Yes China is tough on human rights but if you have not noticed they have soften from where they were. The worst thing they can have happen right now is letting their people have a taste of the western culture as this will embolden them to step up and stand up to the government.
If you look at Shanghai it was not build on slave labor. The products we are selling there are not all bought by government lackeys. China may not be the perfect country but they are coming around and it may just be driving Buicks will drive a change internal of how their country is run.
The fact is why can we not compete with China. Unions that want to make big money for simple assembly jobs.
The thing that has hurt Americans is they just want more money for what they are doing. The key to betterment is to improve your own place in life with skills and education. You should be rewarded for what you know and what you can do and not just be given more money just because you demand it.
It is simple economics. Just look at Walmart. They gave their people more money as some demand that they should. Now look at how many stores are closing and how many of the suppliers are being pressured to make things cheaper driving off more jobs.
We are still a proud country but one not willing to work and do what it takes to get ahead. Too often we are a people with a hand out reached asking for more but not giving anything more back in return.
Lets face it I have jobs open at work that pay very well but yet I can not get qualified people. Hell I can not get people that will show up everyday. Many lose their jobs as they have 2 weeks of vacation. 5 personal days and 5 unpaid days along with family leave and yet they miss too many days to keep the job. they get this starting and earn more as time goes on and yet still miss too many days. Why. Some because they just did not want to come in. Some use all their time by February. One guy lost his because he stayed home to play new video games and he was married and had a child.
There are many good jobs out there but people are not willing to do what is required to get them. I had to educate myself and work several lesser jobs for experience for what I have now. Nothing special and anyone can do it.
So stop complaining about what you have no control over and wise up and start fixing what you have here. The answer to all this is with in not worrying about China. What can we do inside our own country to solve this. Higher taxed on imports and blocking trade is not going to fix a damn thing. Time to fix the work ethic here and stop playing the victim.
Sure China took your lunch and ate it but you let it happen. If you worked to remain competitive then it would have never happened. Most of the complaining is from Union fans that know they can not go into China. They used the same complaints when companies went to the south and everyone there prospered with out them.
The fact is the consumer is greedy and wants as much as they can get for the money. The Cheaper 60″ TV will always sell better than the better made 40″ that cost more. Time to learn you are not going to change that.
GM had two choices here. Not sell the vehicle. or bring it here in the small numbers they plan and sell it. You were not going to tool a line for 35K cars. Now if there was a new Nox plant they could have added it there. Now if sales exceed 35K and there is more demand you can see it moved here at a later point once there really is a plant.
Brother you need to use all the facts not just the ones that fix your idea of what is going on.
Back from the NAIAS . It pays to go during the week instead of the weekend crowd . Seeing this Buick Envision up close It is nice but not that different from the crowded field of SUV’s out there . It takes alot to differentiate your model from the others . The interior has a good design , and as the article stated the plastic wood is awful ! Will it sell the projected 30,000 units , yes . But thats not huge . It will fill in the hole Buick had in it’s SUV line-up . I really tried not to be biased about the vehicle being built by Communists but I couldn’t shake the feeling .
I totally agree with usayjim .
I just read an article that the new Cadillac plant in China is now ready . GM spent 1.22 Billion dollars on the facility .And I know there are going to be all the nay-sayers that will cry that this is a global world and GM needs to produce their vehicles where it’s the cheapest . If GM were to spent that kind of money in Detroit where Cadillacs used to be built , what a way to lift that city out of the problems they are experiencing right now . Plus those folks would have to pay taxes to the government that needs money for things like schools .
The article also said that this new facility would be able to produce what the market will want in the future . That statement alone should make people cringe .
I’m not going to write an article here , but this is just the beginning of GM’s future plans . And all I can say is
“” SHAME ON YOU G.M ” !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What you are missing is that all investment in China is driven my the Chinese markets profitability and needs. GM made that clear a few years ago saying that any capital investment in China does not affect what they do in other markets.
You are wrong in that if GM spent the $1.22B in Detroit it would have lifted them out of their problems. A billion dollars does not their problem fix.
You are missing that less than a year ago GM committed to spending over $5B on plants in the US over the next couple of years.
They also leave out how much of the money made in China has come back here and help rebuild GM in this country.
Money like the $12 Billion given to Cadillac did not come from just Pickup truck profits.
Crappy commie car
those commies bought 1/2 a million more gm vehicles than all of north america.
Steve and the ones China bought were all manufactured in China.
so? you think you can walk into the biggest auto market in the world and not have to give up something in return? if that price is too high, walk away.
Not true at all. There were 1.5 million cars exported to China last year from around the world, including US. Cadillac ELR, Chevy Volt, Buick Enclave among a few.
I’m fine with imports provided that it’s not with a nation such as China who have war plans against the US.
I can’t tell if you are defending GM’s importing actions because you are blinded by loyalty to GM, ignorant, or Chinese.
Maybe all three.
are suggesting that citizens of a country should only buy cars made in that country?
Yes. I believe as a us citizen it is a responsibility do what I can to support my county’s products
that’s admirable but in this day and age, the line between us and them isn’t so clear.
Yeah but it sure is for the Chinese. Look up what the tariff is on an automobile that is imported into China.
china can impose those tariffs because it can. if you have 1 billiion people who are potential customers, you get a say in how the rules are written.
and if the chinese government didn’t enact measures that produced jobs for their citizens, they(the chinese worker) would be justifiably upset that they were buying all these imported cars and getting little economic benefit.
and don’t forget we have tariffs on imported goods as well.
Who is the them you are referring to? The Chinese? If so then the difference is night and day.
i’m sure you said the same about the japanese in the 80s, the koreans in the 90s and in 15 or 20, it’ll be yet another country.
And they – the Chinese gov’t who runs Shanghai Motors – keep 51% of the profits.
Wonder what kind of rigorous quality control they have set up for their Buick and Cadillac export system?
Fool the assembly lines are built to the same standards GM uses globally.
It is thinking like you have here that has lead to much of the problems. You underestimate the ability of the Chinese and that is why you are where you are now.
Our market is no different we make crap here too as well as good things. They are no different.
You get what you pay for.
Get a clue please..
Dear gm authority staff,
Open your eyes, do not let your loyalty to GM blind you to the fact that this is not something that should be praised about. Sure it was designed in Michigan but this car foreshadows a very alarming future where the last great industry in this country is stolen. GM is importing this and the ct6 phev ,which it says are “low production” cars, to use as Guinea pigs to see if the American consumer will care. Which is why we must disapprove of this so it will be looked at as a failure. Because it may be “low production” cars today but before you know it the only GM car to be built in this nation will be the corvette. Remember the whole outsourcing manufacturing jobs idea start with a small shoe company making shoes there and look where we are today.
i’m sure german autoworkers were saying the same thing when bmw, vw, and mb started setting up factories in america.
No because German cars sold to Germans are built in Germany. I have no problem with GM building GM cars for the Chinese market in China. That’s common sense.
you might want to revisit that argument …
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-07-10/bmws-made-in-america-surging-as-biggest-auto-export-cars
Fair point. However just because Bmw is disloyal to the workers of its home country does not mean GM should do the same to the US
So Steve, BMW did exactly what most people here are lambasting GM for doing which is to build some of their vehicles in a place that makes the most economic sense.
You can’t argue both sides.
exactly. everyone hates tariffs/outsourcing/change/technology/spending/debt/etc … unless they are the ones who are benefiting.
Rick no they are not.
Look around as German companies import many of their cars anymore, Even Porsche imports most models other than the 911.
The only Porsche not built entirely in Germany is the cayenne. Which is partly built in Slovakia and Germany.
Yes and they account for more than half their total production. More models will also move out very soon.
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/5022b050-aeb7-11e3-aaa6-00144feab7de.html#axzz3yAPfUUmj
Also much of Rolls Royce is made in Germany and only final assembles in Brittian.
Volvo is not importing from China. Yet how many even noticed?
Rick,
For the record, we are not bound to General Motors in any way, shape or form. GM Authority is a completely independent publication from GM as an automaker. These first impressions aren’t loyalists statements, they’re simply the former: first impressions.
Cheers,
Sean
There are many items designed in the U.S. and made in China. The best example: ALL of the Apple products. Even Japanese items are now made in China!
Whoeven doesn’t like Chinese products should also ban Apple, and many others. Just look for “Made in China” at all the stuff you have in your homes and in all the stores.
GM has assembly plants all over the world. My two GM vehicles were assembled in Canada and they are the best I have. If GM manages the top quality on any vehicle, no matter where it was assembled, then buy GM!
Buick’s Envision must be built using an older architecture than the 2017 GMC Acadia because despite the Envision being 10 inches shorter than the 2017 GMC Acadia, the Acadia is actually about 50 lbs lighter and given the Acadia having 3rd row seating, the determining factor to whether the Envision is a success will be price.
Getting back to the article;
First impressions is that this is a very good looking vehicle with good design, content and engineering. It should do well.
If G.M expect to shift 30,000 units pa in the US, do you honestly expect them to allocate production volume, tool-up and set up a supply chain?. Surely the argument here is about numbers/supply and demand. If GM shift enough for there to be a business case for local production, then they will. Maybe that will happen, maybe the 2nd generation of this model will be a domestic build that simply wouldn’t have happened if GM elected not to leverage it’s global manufacturing base.
Exactly, thx for bringing a reality check to the conversation. The fact is GM is a global manufacturer of automobiles and is a US based business we should all be compelled to support… You could always buy a GE appliance thinking you were buying American, oh wait GE just sold their appliance division to a Chinese owned and company. Or maybe you want a Thermos mug because you think it’s American, uh no it’s owned by a Taiwanees based company… Support your US based and branded companies folks otherwise they may be sold off to Foreign investors.
The question here is do we believe the wack job neo conservative type hype telling us we are bad people for supporting GM now that they are selling a vehicle manufactured in China. Or do we look at this with a broader world view and realize we are in a global economy where automakers are manufacturing vehicles all over the globe for a range of markets.
I am a neo conservative for wanting to make sure the the jobs my family has lived off of for the last 70 some years will not be around for for my children’s children? I’m not saying you are bad a bad person for liking GM, I like it that’s why I follow this forum, but I feel that importing this is unacceptable and if no one cares there will be more.
I’m not a Trump fan but this would be a great example of how to make America great again. Impose tariffs to create an even playing field so that it’s no longer cheaper to import them to produce in your own country. There is a reason why there wasn’t the amount of outrage with with importing from South Korea. South Korea is our partner and there is more equal trade and they treat their people and environment with respect. They also do not try to hack our computer systems. China plays by there own rules, I wish the American public would wake up and plush their government to do something.
Tariffs are so 20th century. The truly “smart” countries like Japan and South Korea protect their key industries not with overt tariffs or quotas, but with regulatory trade barriers–which often fly under the radar of the news media and our collective consciousness. This is how both Japan and South Korea still manage to keep US auto imports to below 1% and 2% of their total auto sales, respectively. What are some of these barriers? They vary from nit-picking (but non-safety-related) aspects of assembly tolerances to engine displacement (heavy taxes for 2.0+ liters, as an example) to automatic tax authority audits for those citizens daring to buy more expensive, non-domestic nameplates.
Here is a good article on autoblogs.com on this phenomena:
http://www.autoblog.com/2009/10/24/japan-bias/
Some folks need to really learn how companies really work and take a good world economics class.
You cut the imports I hope you are ready to pay more for everything that is if you can get it.
I understand.
But – not knowing the numbers – I still wonder why China takes 51% of profits, and we (apparently) don’t impose the import feed China slaps on US products we export to their country.
And China’s not well-known for quality control – we already have our own issues with that.
I don’t have a problem with the global economic model – it’s the reality we live with – just asking for a relatively level playing field.
This is the problem. Many deals were cut with China during the Clinton Admin to open up China so they could export to other countries including us. But to do so they would have to let our companies in to make the products there.
The 51% comes from the automakers as they have to be partnered with a China automaker by 51% to be able to sell their cars in China. Also they have to share any intellectual property with China they sell there. This is why the Volt is not sold there. The fact is the numbers of consumers in China is the largest and by a long ways the most profitable. So you either make the deal or you fade away as an Automaker. The auto companies not there are struggling.
If it were not for China I would say that GM would be no where as well off as they are now. The income from there has rebuilt much of the American lines. The Bailout just got them on their feet China and Pick up trucks rebuilt GM to where we are now Even at 49%.
Now like of late it was not a balanced deal from the start but the opportunity to sell our product even made there to the Chinese was a deal we could not turn down. If we passed others would have taken the deal.
This is a dance with someone we have to dance with but do not trust. The size of China alone makes them relevant no matter what we thing or feel about them. We have to have their people as customers and to have them as customers we have to share with China the business.
It is kind of like what the mob does only global economically.
The truth is we do not have a level playing field and will not have one as we have to earn it. This is not unlike an a football game. I would love to see a level playing field for the Cleveland Browns but it is not going to happen. They will have to work with what they have and make the right moves over time and gain an advantage on their own. Pittsburgh is not going to just roll over to be nice.
Some times I think with some of the comments I read anymore from some Americans have had it too easy and forgot how to compete. We have handed out too many participation trophy and stopped keeping score for too long.
The fact is if you push China with tariffs you will kill what money we are making now from them. Also if you kill their income they will call in the billions of loans we have here with them. In other words don’t crap where you eat or you will starve.
We have to play the card we are dealt and work for better deals. Right now the last 3 presidents have not done us much to help us in China. The present one has killed us militarily now so we have lost that trump card.
We need to invest in technology like the space programs again and use it for new and leading products. We also need to protect our designs as well our electric grid and other things.
I hope many of you know while we have been handing over Getmo prisoners China and others have gained the ability to kill our power if they chose? And I don’t mean by just a couple hours but months or in some places years. They could fry our system at any time. This would lead to a mess and deaths on a scale you can not even conceive.
So when you want to speak of tough talk you need to consider all that is at stake here.
This deal is much deeper than most even consider.
You can not choose your neighbors but you can find ways to deal with them and that is what we need to do. China is not going to go away so we need to learn how to hold value to them and gain respect with out pissing them off. In other words make sure they need us as bad as we need them.
Mutual Economic Destruction is one way we have controlled the Russians for years and the same has applied to other economic giants.
I am sad to say this but we are no longer the only game in town and we must deal with the others like it or not.
Yes, I get it. And it’s complicated. And profitable in a roundabout way:
“In 2003, China became the second largest single market for General Motors, selling 201,188 vehicles, an 81.6% percent increase over the previous year.” Kind of hard to ignore a market with 20+ cities with over a million people.
As far as the intellectual property/Volt/Bolt thing goes, Cadillac’s CT6 plug-in hybrid is going to be made in China and exported – http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2016/01/16/gms-cadillac-import-plug–suv-china/78895540/
The article says they expect 90% of the sales to occur in China. But Chinese air quality doesn’t seem to be a priority there, from the photos we’ve seen.
I don’t think it’s a party politics thing – Nixon made the world safer by extending the olive branch to China. Eisenhower and LBJ didn’t trust them. Reagan was more focused on Russia. The deal was sealed by Clinton’s time, but I’d guess the deal-cutting took 20 or more years(?).
Anyway, they’re huge. They own a lot of our debt. They cut a good deal (51%) when they didn’t have a particularly strong hand. So … we’ll see how it works out.
PS – sorry about Cleveland and Johnny Football, if the Browns are your team. I don’t have a horse in the NFC/AFC championships either.
Gm is changing on what they offer now they are building the CT6 there. But the Volt never went there due to the sharing. At this point China may have already stole the technology and GM knows it. Heck they got out F-22 plans too.
Not it is not a party thing. A lot of things happened but most happened during the Clinton admin. I can remember that many people were mad back then but for get today the deals that were cut. If you look at the time line many companies went there after that and even the other two admins did not do anything to change it or even talk about it.
It appears you understand what many do not. I too do not like this but like bad neighbors you can’t make them move but you do have to learn to live with them and gain an advantage to control things where ever you can. I just wish more people would take in the big picture and really see what all is going on. This is something they should have been paying attention to 20 years ago.
Thing today like the Iran deal weakened out place with China. Iran does a lot of business with China. We just gave them a ton of money and now they are able to buy weapons from China and even pay N Korea to do their nuke testing for them.
Even Cary now admits money we gave back will go to terror groups???? Why did they give it back????? The people there are like China and love the west but the government is the problem.
Thanks on the Browns I am a long suffering fan. At least now we appear to finally have the right coaching. I just worry about not having a good GM. I never wanted Johnny Football in the first place. Everyone told me he will change. Well they were not paying attention to how self centered he was and not team centered in Collage. We should be rid of him.
Exactly. Most of our problems can be traced directly back to Washington D.C. and their over-regulation and over-taxation of the American public and industrial base
I think they should put some portholes on the side near the engine and rename it “Roadmaster”.
So what you are saying is that even though China is actually at war with us economically that we need to keep them happy by moving our production of goods to them so we don’t pi$$ them off and make an enemy of them ? I get amused at the diatribe that is placed on the bloggers that don’t agree with you that somehow they are not as informed as you are . One reason you should be concerned about is all the knowledge the Chinese are gaining by building things with our up to date manufacturing . With that kind of knowledge they can build the world BIGGEST aircraft carrier . I wonder what they need that for ? I’m sure they are not worried about S. Korea or Japan . I won’t even go into N. Korea . There is power in knowledge . The Chinese are consistently going after our internet at the highest government agencies . Have you ever wondered why ?
And buying vehicles built from “any” other country these days is the norm . But what is the question is what are we so afraid of that we need to keep making deals with a communist country and in the meantime destroy our manufacturing base . And I do get a bit disatisfied with comments slamming the unions in this country . No, they are not perfect but if it wasn’t for them the wages and benefits that you may be receiving in the workplace wouldn’t be what they are today . So you should be thanking those folks instead of constantly putting them down. A course of basic economics might help you a bit . The fewer people making a decent wage won’t be paying much in taxes that your city needs to re-build the roads and bridges that are falling down all over the country . You can not do things like that with out money coming in to the coffers of local and federal government . The schools that you send your kids too . how old are they , 30- 40 years old . Can’t update those either with a third of the country working menial jobs and hardly paying any taxes . Are these families going to have enough money to send their kids to colledge . #ell no . But hey lets keep building the latest and greatest manufacturing plants in a communist country with 3 billion people that will be able to send their kids to higher education .
GM is a global manufacturer everybody knows this , times have changed . But impoting the vehicles from American companies is opening the door for the Chinese auto industry to sell their cars over here . People think it was bad when the Jalanese did this , wait till the Chinese start filling barges full of Chinese cars to our shores and lets see how our domestic auto manufacturers compete with that . Heavily subsidized by the government as well.
I am not sure what ‘war’ the U.S. and China are now involved in. Maybe you can elaborate.
The Chinese economy is not in the stone age so building the Envision or CT6 PHEV there is not going to shift the balance of power to them technology wise. There are already advanced manufacturing going in China. They already do the bulk of the manufacturing for many industries especially computers and telecommunications.
The Navy’s Nimitz Class carrier is still the biggest in the world and if the Chinese did build one bigger it would be used for the same purpose that the US Navy uses theirs for if they so chose.
As far as the Chinese going after our Internet I assume you mean spying. All countries with the capability do some kind of espionage. What’s your point?
My parents worked at unionized jobs and I agree there is some benefit to them but mostly they are no longer needed. Unions came about at a time when workplace conditions were abysmal and workers dying on the job was commonplace. That is no longer the case.
Actually by definition unions are anti-capitalism and socialist by design.
And you neglect to mention that by unions getting those great wages and benefits for their workers it drives up the cost of manufacturing making it more attractive for companies to manufacture elsewhere. It’s a Catch22.
As for schools and infrastructure being 30-40yrs old. They were always 30-40yrs old. 30-40 years ago people were complaining that the schools, bridges, public transit, etc. was 30-40yrs old and should be updated.
That type of spending is usually low on the priority list of state and federal governments period.
Maybe some of the billions being spent on those aircraft carriers and fighter planes should be redirected to schools, roads and bridges.
BTW education historically has always been important in China and that is not a recent thing. You keep omitting that investment in China is based on the merits of the GM’s China unit alone. Look at the recent article here about GM annual sales;
http://gmauthority.com/blog/2016/01/general-motors-sales-total-9-8-million-vehicles-globally-in-2015/
GM in China sold 3.6 million units . That justifies the $1.22B investment because they can support that and it has nothing to do with what is being spent or won’t be spent on Orion, Spring Hill, Oshawa or Ramos-Azripe.
If you believe that it is then you are misinformed sir/madame.
What would you have GM do? Should they abandon 3.6 million units in sales so as not to give the Chinese any car manufacturing ‘secrets’?
Yes we are at economic war with China. But you need to read up on Mutual Assured Economic Destruction.
MAE has been used for years now to tie thing to the point that no one will crash someone else or they risk crashing their own economy.
We have practices this before to deter the Russians from dropping the bomb. Then Japan tried to conquer the world economically but were stopped due to the lack or man power and natural resources. That is why they came here as they could not do more in their own country. It was what really hampered them in WW II due to the lack of oil and man power to fight conventional war.
China has tested us many ways. Stealing out technology, Also our web. They also have devalued their money to challenge our dollar.
But they hold the trump card. China has opened the largest consumer market in the world and have empowered their citizens with higher pay so they can buy things now. Before only political people could own a car now any one can. Same for many other consumer products.
The sheer numbers of Chinese make it impossible not to do business with them. If we don’t India, Japan, South Korea, Germany and many other countries will surly take our place.
The trump car China has played has made it that who ever does not do business in China will be at risk of being irrelevant in the future. You are not going to sell enough products in the states anymore to be considered a power. Also no one is going to buy from us if China plays with their money value.
As for unions they have done some good but they also have put us where we are at in a disadvantage with many other counties and we are unable to compete.
The problem is while the unions got us more wages and more medical they also drove up the cost of living so today while we make more we really are not all that much better off than we were 50 years ago.
Like China or not we are tied to them and will have to deal with them. The key is for us to exploit what advantages we have. Investing in the space program will drive our technology as would if we invest in the military. Much of this transferred to out products and we can gain an advantage.
We also need to find ways to protect our products and if we have to play dirty do what we need to do. They do not follow the rules so why should we.
Times have changed as we have changed. We can keep much of the auto industry here but it is up to the unions. As you can see the locals in Michigan, Ohio at Wentzville have been reward with a lot of work as they are working with GM. The CAW at Oshawa has not worked well with GM and as you can see they are losing work.
You may note the locals working well are locals in areas where the Unions have lost the most jobs. Much of what GM wants is what plants down south get. These folks make a good wage and do not make it difficult to make cars. They show up and they work.
I do not slam unions because I hate them I just am not pleased at what they have done to my area. So many people here lost jobs. The Rubber Union was offered new plants here if they would give up the 6 hours work for 8 hours pay. Yes the tire companies in the depression offered to pay workers 8 hours for 6 hours work so they could add a 4th shift a day to help employ more out of work people. The union would never give those two hours back even not losing any workers. The companies close up the tire shops and went south. I can show you the same thing at the Steel plants we used to have to. If you want clean air let the unions control things.
I would like you to really investigate all that is going on with us and China and you will clearly see we both are tied together at this point and there is going to be a lot of give and take here. The real worry is if China screws up with their currency manipulation they will crash the market and take the world with them. With oil down things are really at risk right now.
One thing we need to remember is most Chinese love America and Western life. They want that kind of life. It is their government for the most part that we have to really be wary of. The more Western Culture their people taste the more they will favor us and the more pressure it will put on their leaders.
The same thing happened in Russia but they did not handle it well as they had not prepared to meet capitalization with their own economy. Lada Cars just did not export well and you can only export so much Vodka. LOL! Now Poland did do it right and today they are being rewarded economically.
This is a very complicated and calculated thing here and you just can not close things off, add tariffs and other meager measure. There is just so much more involved.
The Exports of cars are the least of our issues.
The sad thing is so many even posting here could not tell you who their Senator is but they think they can fix the Economy. That is our greatest weakness as so many can not sort this out as they never were taught how this stuff works or in many cases not work in the economy. That is how Trump and Sanders get away with the BS they are dispensing. They do not explain the cause and effect of their hot button points and the people do not understand what is at stake. It is not their fault but it is a major flaw in our education system.
It’s a nice vehicle but no one in the United States should buy one after all the money tax payers gave GM an this is how they treat the U.S. Workers who built this company. I hope Donld Trump gets elected president an does what he says by taxing these companies like G.M. So much that people can’t afford to buy their cars anymore!! G.M. Is getting a lot of cheap labor but the American people don’t reap the benefits! There vehicles have not came down in price it maybe it would different if the price would have came down significantly but they haven’t!
Taxing the companies has nothing to do with the price of the vehicles. In fact it might drive the prices further up as companies have to make up the difference in lost net income.
The front fascia already looks about 10 years old, the side sculpting is not bad, but it does virtually nothing for the round and minivan-like side profile. The rear fascia is decent, but it somewhat clashes with the front just slightly. Now the interior actually looks quite attractive; although the glossy, plastic looking wood is a bit tacky. I’m glad to hear the interior spacing is respectable. The 2.0T should prove to be quite potent, and lets hope the twin-clutch AWD system will give it at least a hint of performance.
Overall, the Envision should prove to be a good seller, despite its Chinese assembly. The styling certainly screams Buick, as does the intended purpose of this vehicle. But alas, there are so many options in the luxury crossover segment, and the Envision needs a bit more to garner my attention!
We are the land of consumerism and in 100 years we will all be out of a high paying job and one step closer to becoming a third world country again.
One Solution to all this Made in China garbage. Vote Donald Trump into office and see companies bring manufacturing back to the USA in record time. Why? Because he sees this exact uneven import issue that is or has eroded the very fabric that has built this country from the ground up 220 years in the making. He has built his enormous billion dollar business on the “deal” and the deal is “whats in it that is good for me?” mentality. We need mindset like that for this country now.
The only way companies here are going to get an alignment of understanding is when the tariff structure has changed and companies doing business outside the USA are going to get taxed (oh and this is the part where we pay down the deficit) where down the road they see that it is cheaper to do business back here on our own turf. The tariffs are the only way to improve our growing problem of companies moving jobs out out of the country only to build something and sell it back to us. And Donald Trump has vocalized that throughout his candidacy. This is how he is going to get Mexico to pay for the wall that we need down in the south. He is going to tell Mexico to build it or an extreme tariff will be in implemented on all items exported to the USA,.
He knows how to make a deal in the best interest of himself. What better than to put him in place to make America Great Again.
Oh this is how i see it stack up. (hypothetical of course – but possible)
Donald Trump – President
Mitt Romney – Vice President
Carl Icahn – Treasurer
Secretary of State – Carly Fiorina
Look at it this way. Put the Donald in for just 4 years. What’s the worst he can do than what crap we are living with right now – today?..18 trillion on debt…going to 21 trillion in 4 years if we vote the same garbage back in for another 4 years like we have in our white house today.
Oh..and dont get me started on our socialistic health care system we have the was forced down our throats.
8 years ago…We all wanted change….and boy did we get it!
You want to fix that
Romny for President.
Secretary of State should be John Bolton.
The other two offices you can put any idiot in as we already have them there now.
I am not American, but I don’t understand why Americans are so excited about the Focus RS being imported from Germany, yet disgusted buy the Envision and CT6 PHEV being imported from China.. Race and Nationality have nothing to do with build quality.. Quality comes from the bean counters allowing or disallowing quality control.
Not all Americans think that. Just the ones typing on their Chinese Smart Phones who have not figured out that We here are not the only ones that make quality items.
Something else here that many are not considering too.
SAIC has invested heavily in GM when they were broke. The US government alone did not do all the bail out. GM had a lot of money invested by China via their SAIC partner. The also took a large stake in GM India. That is why you keep reading stories on GM India here.
While GM is still an American company China has a big stake in them. GM really had little choice in the matter.
You want GM and all the automakers to return America back to the top. Well then start buying cars as increased demand would do it. But you would have to buy them in numbers greater than China. Again Simple Economics.
WOW. I have never seen such commentary during the time I have read these posts.
I am not, nor have I ever been, a union member or advocate. However, anyone can realize that the United States is slowly but surely dismantling its manufacturing base and capability. There were recently those who would have been fine with allowing the American auto industry to simply fold its tent and disappear. It’s unsettling to see it doing it to itself, save for the balance sheet.
I understand the reasoning, but the time will come when we stand for little but a once-upon-a-time dream that went the way of many empires before us.
This is a nice car, but it is not an American car.