GMIO President Tim Lee moderates a panel with Patricia Russo, GM Vice Chairman Steve Girsky and GM Chairman Dan Akerson on Monday in Shanghai.
At about the same time the UAW reveals details of its new contract with GM tomorrow to news media, General Motors Vice Chairman Steve Girsky will be holding a conference call for media from Shanghai. The latest communication from GM will likely detail plans for further job creation via new investment in China, GM’s and the world’s largest auto market, although GM other then confirming the Girsky call refuses to divulge details. It is also expected that GM will announce that it will reopen a defunct Saturn plant in Tennessee.
The Occidental and Oriental intrigue from a resurgent GM follows a GM Board meeting today in Shanghai after GM reached a labor agreement with the UAW late Friday night. It was the first time ever the Board met outside the United States. Executives also held an all-employee meeting at the GM campus in Shanghai. The Chinese market is protected of course because the Communist Party requires joint ventures with Chinese manufacturers and cities.
GM said earlier this year that it will double its sales volume in China from about 2.35 million units in 2010 to around 5 million units by 2015. China has been GM’s largest market for the past two years where it is the Number One automaker.
More than 700 employees from GM International Operations and GM China listened as Chairman Dan Akerson gave an update on GM’s business. He was then joined by fellow board members Steve Girsky and Patricia Russo to answer employees’ questions. GMIO President Tim Lee moderated the Q&A.
The Baojun 630 had its global motor show premiere on the SAIC-GM-Wuling (SGMW) stand at Auto Shanghai 2011. SGMW, a joint venture between GM China, Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation Group (SAIC) and Wuling Motors, was launched in 2002. SGMW currently manufactures a range of Wuling brand mini-trucks and minivans as well as the Chevrolet Le Chi mini-car. In 2010, SGMW had record Chinese sales of 1,226,860 vehicles.
Board members later were given an overview of GMIO and GM China as well as an introduction to SAIC-GM-Wuling’s lineup of models, including the new Baojun 630, which recently went on sale in China.
The board also visited Shanghai GM, where members participated in the celebration of the production of the joint venture’s 5-millionth vehicle. Shanghai GM, which produced its first vehicle on 17 December 1998, reached the milestone earlier than any other automaker in China. GM and its Chinese partners have the biggest share of the market, much to the annoyance of Volkswagen. FAW-Volkswagen is the second largest of China’s automobile manufacturers, behind GM and its Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) and FAW partners.
See also:
- Chinese Government Approves Two VW Joint Venture Plants
- Great Leap Forward! GM China Announces Five Year Plan to Double Sales by Introducing 60 New and Upgraded Models
- New-Vehicle Consideration Rates Shift To European Models in China, away from Japanese. Chevrolet and Buick Gaining
- Milestones: 20 Years of FAW-Volkswagen in China
- Johnson Controls to Build $100 Million Battery Plant in China
