Car Throttle

Buick Business Concept. Bland name, amazing vehicle. Like most of the other vehicles introduced at the Shanghai Auto Show, no official images came out immediately. Official press photography and press information have now been released though and wow, I'm impressed! Routan? Pfft. The Business Concept truly would be the ultimate minivan/MPV if produced. From here on out though, I'm going to refer to it with the MPV moniker. That's what Buick calls it, and it sounds better too. Avoids the whole "minivan" name tag stigma thing the United States is currently going through. According to Buick, the concept was designed with "global input" at the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center (PATAC), a joint venture between GM and it's Chinese partner Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC). The Chinese seem to be best at designing Buicks; they just get it.

A report came out yesterday regarding GM's continuing efforts to find a buyer for Hummer, Saab and Saturn. It also created a stir by speculating on a possible Buick sale to China's SAIC. Before I had a chance to comment on that (unlikely) deal, GM China today dismissed the news story. The deal would have been unlikely for so many reasons. The Buick brand is huge in China. If General Motors has any hope of being a successful global company, it will need a strong presence in the country. With 1 billion people, it will one day become with the world's largest auto market. The amount of money speculated on ($1 billion) is pocket change and nowhere near the value that the brand is worth to GM. Also, in