Bringing Home a Good Lesson Learned in China

To understand the 2008 Buick Enclave, you've got to understand the luxury segment of the Chinese automobile market in which Buick is a top seller.

That's Buick as in B-U-I-C-K, long an ignored player in the U.S. automobile business and frequently the butt of geriatric jokes, as in: "He's so old he still drives a Buick."

Buick has been in China since 1912. There, it is a revered automotive badge, especially among the country's upper-income groups who demand top quality and who hold prestige and honor -- they call it "face" -- as sacrosanct.

Buick's status in China probably surprises many Americans, as it surprised me on several visits to Shanghai General Motors, a 50-50 joint venture between General Motors and Shanghai Automotive Industry, established in June 1997.

I said I was "surprised." That's an understatement. I was shocked beyond belief by China's acceptance of Buicks. Moreover, I was stunned by the superior quality of the Chinese Buicks I drove (on a Shanghai GM test track) and saw.

Those Buicks were better than any Buicks I'd ever driven or seen in the United States. They were solid and whisper-quiet. Fit and finish were impeccable. Interior craftsmanship -- the way materials blended with one another; the impressive attention to detail on the smallest items, such as the feel and weight of glove-compartment doors -- was awe-inspiring.

It made me angry. I became the unruly guest railing at my GM hosts for what I thought was a slap in the face to GM's home market. "Why do you guys give this kind of Buick to the Chinese while giving us crappy Buicks at home?" I asked.

I was in no mood for polite talk. Nor was I mollified by an answer from one of the Shanghai GM officials: "This is what the Chinese market expects from Buick," he said.

Say what?

I wanted to punch him. I chose sarcasm instead.

"I suppose that means GM plans to live up to the expectations of the American market and stop selling Buicks in America," I said.

He assured me that I was wrong.