General Motors might be in the toilet in it’s home country, but in China the brand carries a prestige that it does not receive anywhere else in the world. In fact GM is the largest automaker in China. People in that country actually cross-shop cars from Buick to cars from Mercedes-Benz! It seems ludicrous to us, but they are dead serious when doing it. They hold cars from GM in the same light as cars from Germany.

So, it comes as no surprise that General Motors recently announced that they are going to start exporting Buick Enclaves to China. Chinese officials visited the Lansing Delta Township Assembly Plant Thursday and Friday to observe operations in preparation for the manufacture of U.S.-built Enclaves crossovers for export to China. Pending approval, China-bound Enclaves could begin rolling off the assembly line as early as next month.

“Our customers in China are going to fall in love with the Enclave’s beauty, luxury and functionality in the same way that this vehicle has captivated buyers here,” said Susan Docherty, vice president, Buick-Pontiac-GMC. “Buick has been a revered brand in China for more than 90 years, and Enclave is going to enhance our strong presence in the Chinese marketplace, providing an elegant and premium vehicle built in a world-class facility.”

With this move already basically done, it is now up to other manufactures to keep a close eye on how this will fair out for the General. If it’s a success, you can bet that other automakers will quickly follow suit.

Above: The Buick Enclave has sold well anywhere where it’s been sold, hopefully China will like it too…