China saves GM
General Motors, United States largest and most famous carmaker has been selling more cars in China than in its home market for the first time from the beginning of the car manufacturing business, 102 years ago. General Motors ‘s vehicle sales in China increased by 48.5 percent and reached 1.21 million pieces in the first half of the year as a demand of the Chinese government due to economic growth and stimulus programs.This outgrown the sales that the Detroit manufacturer is having in the United States, which have been estimated at the number of 1.08 million pieces. This was a stoke of luck for the American car producer that has returned them to profitability after announcing bankruptcy and government bail-out back in the year 2009.
This is a remarkable sign of the turning balance of global trade. The growth in the Chinese market has increased a lot because the country’s 1.3 billion people population of becomes richer and Beijing’s economic growth stimulates the purchasing of the cars. General Motors produces the Buick and the Chevrolet in China. The company has a joint venture to produce and sell cars together with Shanghai Automotive, and this is a strong point for the carmaker because China is a new market that has not been exploited yet and is a very cheap manufacturer, and the reducing of the costs is very good if you have been in a situation similar to GM’s last year.11
I had the chance to visit the GM factory in Brazil and I was amazed to see the technology and professionalism used in this company. The one that gave us a tour was the logistic director and she explained a couple of thing about the GM culture and the way that people work. Not only do they manage to keep the equipment in tip-top shape but their employees have a very high level of qualification. I think that this is the case in most GM units all over the world and it would be a shame if any of them has to shut down.
here is a nice video about gm http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJXq1HiV-_E