China now GM’s most important market

General Motors (GM), the world’s largest automotive company, came to the table a little late in China.  German automotive maker Volkswagen was already well entrenched in the Chinese market when GM entered in 1997. Today, China is GM’s most important market.  By the end of 2005, GM had 11% market share in China.  The company had to come up with new models based on popular European designs and global platforms.  The new models included the new Regal, Excelle Xt/GT and Cruze and the Sail developed by Shanghai GM’s R&D center.  Currently, GM holds 9.4% of China’s automotive market. The new alternative energy Volt is to be introduced in China in the near future. (May 9, 2011)