General Motors sells more cars in China than it does in the United States — about half again as many as they sell in the U.S., in fact. China is now the world's top auto market; it displaced the U.S. in 2009 after an extensive Chinese government stimulus package. Chinese consumers buy about eight million personal cars annually. Most of the GM cars sold in China are Buicks and Chevrolets.
An assortment of auto market facts:
- GM used to be the world's biggest maker of automobiles, but it was surpassed in 2008 by Toyota, ending GM's 77-year hold on the title.
- Beijing alone has more than 3 million cars, and about 1,300 new cars are registered every day.
- Cars manufactured by the Big Three — GM, Chrysler and Ford Motor Company — are considered domestic vehicles, even if they are actually made at sites outside of the U.S. Likewise, cars made by foreign companies are considered import cars even if they are actually manufactured at factories inside the U.S.