通用汽车路在中国

    通用汽车（General Motors）在美国市场销售的汽车越来越受到中国用户的影响，尽管这一客户群远在7,100英里之外。

    尽管2012款别克Verano这一优雅的紧凑型轿车还没有登陆美国展厅，但其孪生车型，别克英朗GT，早已于2010年6月在中国市场开卖。即将于9月上市的雪佛兰Sonic两厢车的设计则来自于亚洲，由通用在中国的合资厂操刀。

    问及通用为什么会有东方情结，史蒂夫•葛斯基说，“很简单：做做算术就知道了。”通用合资厂在中国去年的销售量超过200万台，超越了通用在美国的销售量，公司预计该数字在未来5年内将增加一倍。

    美国市场销售的车型和设计也越来越受到中国消费者喜好的影响。热销款别克君越（LaCrosse）的内饰就是由通用上海设计工作室设计的。

    爱德华•威尔本每年要来中国4趟，他说中国审美观念正逐渐融入通用汽车的设计。威尔本坐骑的散热格栅上以及头灯套筒上采用了精美的玉雕元素，仪表盘冰绿色背光也使汽车增色不少。

    通用汽车的中国合作伙伴，上海汽车工业总公司（Shanghai Automotive Industrial Corp.）是中国最大的汽车生产商。上汽公司渴求扩大技术能力、产品阵容以及国际市场份额，通用则可向公司提供相关的专业知识和技术

    通用和上汽已经建立了十二个合资厂，几乎涵盖了汽车工程、生产和销售的各个方面，而且双方从未曝光过任何分歧。中国汽车销售呈现了爆发式的增长，其规模和速度在汽车工业史上都是史无前例的，这也为市场带来了一些新机遇。

    如果问问通用汽车国际运营部的总裁提姆•李是否会考虑将通用汽车的总部搬到上海，他肯定会说“绝不会”。

    如果想问上汽公司能否在通用汽车董事会上占据一席之地，你会得到同样的答案。但其他的一切貌似已经提上了议程，包括把中国生产的汽车拿到美国市场销售。

    未来10年，通用汽车预计中国将新增1,270万辆汽车的销量，相当于新增一个美国市场。而GM的市场份额也会随之水涨船高。

    即便位于密歇根州底特律市的通用总部不会搬迁，但该总部似乎已经注定要唯中国马首是瞻。

    The cars General Motors sells in the U.S. are increasingly influenced by customers 7,100 miles away: the residents of the People's Republic of China.

    The 2012 Buick Verano, a stylish compact sedan (seen above), isn't in U.S. showrooms yet, but a similar vehicle has been on sale since June 2010 in China, where it is known as the Buick Excelle GT. The Chevrolet Sonic hatchback that will hit dealers in September was designed in Asia by a joint venture run partly by GM's Chinese partner.

    When asked to explain GM's eastward bias, Steve Girsky says, "It's simple: Do the math." GM's joint ventures sold in excess of 2 million vehicles in China last year -- more than GM (GM, Fortune 500) sold in the U.S. -- and the company expects to double that number in five years.

    The tastes of Chinese customers are beginning to influence cars designed and sold in the U.S. The interior of the popular Buick LaCrosse was executed in GM's Shanghai design studio.

    Ed Welburn, who visits China four times a year, says a Chinese aesthetic is finding its way into GM designs. The delicate lines of jade sculpture appear in radiator grilles and headlamp fixtures on Welburn's cars, while its icy green color turns up in the instrument panel and a variety of accents.

    GM's Chinese partner, Shanghai Automotive Industrial Corp., is the largest automaker in China. SAIC is eager to expand its technological capabilities, product lineup, and penetration of foreign markets, and it relies on GM for expertise and know-how.

    GM and SAIC already cooperate in a dozen ventures covering almost every aspect of automotive engineering, manufacturing, and distribution, and any disputes are kept far from public view. The explosion of Chinese auto sales -- unparalleled in scale or velocity in automotive history -- opens up some interesting possibilities.

    Ask GM's international boss Tim Lee whether he can envision GM ever moving its headquarters to Shanghai, and he barks "Never."

    Ask about a seat for SAIC on the GM board and you get the same answer. But everything else seems to be on the table, including building cars in China for sale in the U.S.

    Over the next 10 years, GM believes China will grow by another 12.7 million units -- in effect adding another market the size of the U.S., and that GM's share will rise along with it.

    Even if corporate headquarters never leave Michigan, Detroit's GM seems destined to wind up as an appendage to a China-centric company.