Chinese customers like Buick... more than the Americans do!

(Photo: Nadine Filion, Auto123.com)

This is all the more surprising considering the Excelle is based on the same platform as... our Chevrolet Optra. And it's not a mere replica of the Optra as well. On the contrary, the car is designed to suit the Chinese needs: leather seating, wood trims, navigation systems, etc.

The minivan: the perfect corporate vehicle!

The same is true with the Buick GL8, which is the best-selling minivan in the country with a 25 percent share.

Indeed, our basic North American Chevrolet Uplander is transformed into a classy corporate vehicle in China. Here, minivans are not considered family vehicles. Why? Because of the birth policy ("one family, one child"), Chinese homes are definitely not the most crowded on earth.

Comfort first and foremost
As for the Lacrosse, it has been so modified to suit the Chinese market that there is not a single body panel that's identical to the American model, according to Margaret Brooks, Buick's Sales and Marketing Manager in China.

"Even the engines are different," explains Mrs. Brooks. Indeed, while our Allure boasts a 240-hp, 3.8 L V6, the Chinese LaCrosse is powered by a 168-hp, 2.4L 4-cylinder engine or by a 176-hp, 3.0L V6 -- both manufactured domestically.

(Photo: Nadine Filion, Auto123.com)

In fact, of all the Buicks sold in China, only the Royaum is built outside the country (Australia).

85 percent pay cash
Want more surprising stuff? The Chinese don't like credit. So much so that, according to Automotive Resources Asia, 85 percent of new car buyers pay cash!

This ratio is even higher with Buick vehicles: less than 10 percent of buyers want financing.

And don't think that Buicks are cheap. The Excelle is priced between $14,000 and $19,000 US, and the Lacrosse, between $26,000 and $46,000 US. The GL8 costs up to $48,000 US.

Are you beginning to understand why so many automakers want a piece of the Chinese cake?