Range-topping 2014 Buick LaCrosse debuts in China

Shanghai GM has just unveiled the top version of the popular Buick LaCrosse sedan in China, with its debut of the LaCrosse 3.0-liter V6 SIDI IntelliTech Flagship model. This move now brings the total number of trim levels available on the LaCrosse to seven.

The Chinese-market LaCrosse is a locally produced sedan that is visually identical to the American model on the outside. The Chinese version offers a total of three engines though, two of them not shared with North American-market Buicks. Powering the LaCrosse are a 2.0-liter turbo engine, a naturally aspirated 2.4-liter engine, and the range-topping 3.0 liter V6.

The LaCrosse 3.0L V-6 SIDI IntelliTech Flagship is new for the 2014 model year, and will retail for 369,900 RMB, or approximately $60,200 based on current exchange rates. The most affordable model in the range is the Buick LaCrosse 2.4L SIDI Pilot, which retails for 235,900 RMB or $38,500. By comparison, the U.S. version of the 2014 LaCrosse sedan, available with a 2.4-liter engine standard and a 3.0-liter V6 as a no-cost option starts at $34,060. The Chinese-market LaCrosse sedans are available with infotainment and active safety systems identical or comparable to Buick's IntelliLink and IntelliSafe systems available in North America.

Shanghai GM now offers a total of 11 different Buick models, up from eight just a few years ago. On offer is a mix of models familiar to U.S. car buyers, such as the Encore and the Enclave, as well as less familiar ones such as the Park Avenue, a large sedan that recently replaced the Holden Statesman-based Buick Royaum. Perhaps the most surprising models can be found in the MPV segment, with two versions of the Buick GL8, a luxury minivan designed by Shanghai GM and only available in select Asian markets. Buick's lineup in China is not based entirely on large luxury cars, but also takes advantage of smaller vehicles in GM's global portfolio, with the Chevrolet Cruze-based Buick Excelle range of midsize cars.

GM's focus on expanding the range of Buick cars available in China follows years of continuous growth for the Buick brand in the country, since its reappearance in China in 1999 after decades of absence. Since that time, Shanghai GM has experienced annual growth that at times exceeded 80 percent in a 12-month period. The tremendous popularity of this American marque in China has been attributed to GM's deft feel for the luxury market in the country, as well as its ability to use its worldwide resources to introduce new models to the market in record time.

By Jay Ramey