General Motors and its Local Partners Build China's Biggest Test Track

General Motors is pretty serious about maintaining its leading role in China, the world's largest auto market.

On Saturday, September 22, GM and its Chinese partners, which include SAIC, Shanghai GM and the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center, opened the largest automotive proving ground in the country.

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GM China’s SAIC-GM-Wuling Joint Venture Reaches 1 Million Sales

While General Motor's SAIC-GM-Wuling (SGMW) joint venture in China has sold more than 1 million vehicles before, reaching this milestone at this time of year is a first for the company. In 2011, SGMW sold its 1 millionth vehicle in October.

The automaker said it delivered an average of 3,500 vehicles every day through the first eight months of the year 2012, up 15.2 percent from the same period last year.

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GM Posts All Time Record July Sales in China, up 11.7 Percent from the Beginning of 2012

It's been a good sales month in China for General Motors and its 12 joint ventures in the country as the Detroit-based company set an all-time record high of 199,503 deliveries in July, up 15.1 percent over the same month last year.

In particular, the Shanghai GM joint venture posted sales of 97,064 units (+5.7%), SAIC-GM-Wuling 98,694 units (+26.6%) and FAW-GM 3,379 vehicles (+3.1 percent).

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China's SAIC Motors Inaugurates New North American Operations Center in Detroit

With a production output of 3.64 million vehicles last year, SAIC Motor Corporation Limited is China's largest domestic automobile maker and a name that you will hear a lot more about in the years to come.

SAIC is now trying to strengthen its U.S. presence with the establishment of its new North American Operations Center in the Detroit suburb of Birmingham in Michigan.

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Futuristic MG Midget Concept Created by Design Student During Internship at SAIC

More than six years after China's Nanjing Automobiles acquired the once-famed MG brand only to be incorporated itself in SAIC Motor's portfolio a couple of years later, the British carmaker is still struggling to find its way and re-enter the global scene.

At last month's Beijing Auto Show, we saw MG providing a glimpse into the future with the Icon, a study for a small crossover coupe.

Another proposal for a future MG model comes from a design student of the Coventry University in the UK, who created a sports car concept during his internship at SAIC Design.

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MG's Beijing Show Icon Concept Previews a Small Crossover that Could Enter Production by 2014

Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC), the Chinese owner of the MG Motors brand, is eyeing the Nissan Juke and the small crossover segment with a new concept study named the Icon that was officially revealed today at the 2012 Beijing Auto Show.

The British company's first ever SUV concept was created by the MG global design team headed by British director Anthony Williams-Kenny who says he took inspiration from some of the most well-known MG models of the past such as the MGA and the MGB GT.

“The MG brand has a unique set of values and heritage and allows us to offer individual design values to our products," said Williams-Kenny. "The MG Icon represents our vision of a modern MG and we feel that the small SUV canvas demonstrates MG’s capacity for progressive design with respect for its long heritage."

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Roewe Presents New Flagship 950 Sedan for the Chinese Market Based on the Buick LaCrosse

Roewe is a new brand that was born from the ashes of Rover after its parent company and one of China's largest automakers, SAIC, acquired the rights to the British firm's platforms and powertrains but not its brand name in 2007.

Up until now, the Chinese automaker's largest model was the 750, which is a rebadged Rover 75 sedan. This week, Roewe pulled the wraps off a new flagship sedan, this time based on the Buick LaCrosse, which uses GM's Epsilon II platform.

The two cars share similar dimensions with the 950 measuring 4,996mm long (196.7-in), 1,857mm (73.1-in.) wide, and 1,502mm (59.1-in.) tall with a wheelbase of 2,837mm (111.7-in).

Roewe said that the 950 will launch with two engines, a 2.4-liter four-cylinder petrol and a 3.0-liter V6 with direct injection, which as you may have already guessed, are sourced from GM and the LaCrosse.

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