Shanghai GM To Begin Deliveries Of Buick Sail Competitively Priced
FOR RELEASE: June 1, 2001Shanghai GM To Begin Deliveries Of Buick Sail Competitively Priced for Chinese Family Car Buyers
Shanghai, People's Republic of China -- Shanghai General Motors (Shanghai GM) announced today that it would begin deliveries of Buick Sail, the first true modern family car built in China, on June 8.
According to Shanghai GM, prices for the three different trim levels of Sail will range from RMB 100,000 (approximately US$12,000) to RMB 125,000 (US$15,100).
"Buick Sail offers the best value for the money among compact cars built and sold in China," said Chris Gubbey, Executive Vice President of Shanghai GM. "It has been designed to meet the specific needs of the growing number of personal Chinese car buyers, especially young families."
Buick Sail comes with a 1.6-liter, 4-cylinder engine. The base model Buick Sail SL and the Buick Sail SLX feature a 5-speed manual transmission. The top-of-the-line Buick Sail AT comes equipped with 4-speed automatic transmission and advanced comfort features such as leather seats.
In response to the increasing consumer focus on safety, Buick Sail has a number of standard safety features that are being offered for the first time in a compact car in China. These include dual front airbags and antilock brakes. A warranty of two years or 40,000 kilometer and two free oil changes are being offered to all Sail buyers.
"Chinese car buyers have been anxiously awaiting Shanghai GM's newest model. In the two months after the first Sail came off the production line at the end of last year, we received over 16,000 orders with deposits," said Gubbey.
"In the intervening months, Shanghai GM has focused on building vehicles that are of world-class levels of quality while keeping the start of sales on schedule. At the same time, Shanghai GM has been training its sales and service teams. Staff at Shanghai GM's network of more than 60 Authorized Service Centers are fully prepared to cater to Sail customers from day one.''
The third distinct model introduced by Shanghai GM in three years, Buick Sail will be delivered to customers via Shanghai GM's nationwide dealer network. With Shanghai GM's unified pricing strategy, Sail will retail for the same price regardless of location.
Buick Sail is based on the internationally acclaimed Opel/Chevrolet Corsa. More than 100 engineering and design modifications were made to Sail to meet Chinese regulations and customer needs. Local content rate exceeds 40 percent, in line with Chinese government requirements.
Sail is the third distinct model introduced by Shanghai GM in three years. Lean manufacturing is enabling Buick Sail to be assembled on the same production line as Shanghai GM's family of Buick sedans and Buick GL8 wagon.
With a total investment of US$1.52 billion, Shanghai GM is a 50-50 joint venture between General Motors and Shanghai Automotive Industry (Group) Corporation. Last year, Shanghai GM sold more than 30,000 vehicles.
