General Motors is planning a new, independent brand in China that will sell halo cars imported from the United States.
The automaker wants to build the new “premium import business” from the ground up and allow it to operate at a high level of autonomy. The head of GM’s China division, Julian Blissett, describes the vehicles that the business will import as premium, often high-performance cars that are design-focused.
“We are inviting talent from across the industry to join us and jointly create our brand new business in China,” the company said in a statement. According to Reuters, the statement was issued after several Chinese media outlets first reported on the creation of the new brand.
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The brand will focus on selling upscale GM vehicles that are currently otherwise unavailable in China. The automaker already operates the Wuling, Baojun, Chevrolet, Buick, and Cadillac brands in the market, all with Chinese joint-venture partners.
China, though, has relaxed rules on joint ventures, allowing foreign brands to own more than 50 percent of their businesses in the country, as was previously required. Blissett told Chinese media sources that GM plans to retain full control over the new brand.
Additional details about which models will be sold by the brand and how they will be marketed are not yet available, though GM plans to make more announcements later.
This business model is not, however, new for GM. The company recently launched General Motors Specialty Vehicles in Australia, which handles the importation of the 2022 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray.
