General Motors may make a lot of money off its big SUVs, but it’s been launching a whole bevy of smaller ones lately. There’s the Chevy Trax, the Buick Encore (or Opel Mokka overseas), and it’s working on a Cadillac XT3.
What you see here is its newest, but it comes from a brand with which you may not be familiar.
The product of a joint venture between GM and SAIC, the Baojun 510 joins a growing roster of models developed specifically for the Chinese market.
The small SUV made its debut at the Guangzhou Motor Show just a few months ago. But now it’s reaching dealerships, with prices starting at RMB 54,800 – equivalent to just $8,000 at current exchange rates.
That’s $5,000 less than you’d have to pay in America to get into a Chevy Spark, which is the cheapest model GM sells in its home market. Even fully equipped it comes in at 69800 yuan, or about $10k.
We wouldn’t expect much for that low a sum, but the Baojun 510 certainly doesn’t look low-rent from what we’ve seen, and boasts a surprisingly complete array of equipment.
GM cites “high-quality sound insulation” as well as a partially opening panoramic sunroof, automatic air conditioning, remote keyless entry, push-button ignition, cruise control, heated electric rearview mirrors, an 8-inch LCD screen in the dashboard, and “an optimal ownership experience [including] 10 premium services.” Not bad for eight large.
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