Shanghai GM, the US car maker's joint venture with leading Chinese automaker SAIC, said it also plans to sell what it calls the "ideal car for Chinese families" in other markets in South America, North Africa and the Middle East.
"It represents a breakthrough in our strategy to create products for China and other emerging markets," Terry Johnsson, Shanghai GM vice-president for sales, service and marketing said in a statement.
GM is the first international automaker to export a passenger car developed in China, Johnsson said.
Since its debut in January, Shanghai GM has sold 90,000 New Sail cars in China, putting it at the top of its segment, the statement said.
GM is the market leader in China, which overtook the United States last year to become the world's biggest auto market.
The US automaker and its joint venture partners expect to sell more than two million cars in China this year after selling a record 1.83 million in 2009.
In a sign of China’s importance to GM, the company based its international operations in Shanghai after a $50-billion restructuring that led to mass layoffs, plant closures and billions of dollars in debt wiped out.
Source (AFP)
