SHANGHAI AUTO SHOW: Holden Caprice struggling in China as Buick Park Avenue

The next generation of the Holden Caprice may not be exported to China after sales of the current model have slowed dramatically there.

Holden exports the Caprice in body parts and 'kit' form and the car is assembled in China and sold as a Buick Park Avenue.

But the boss of General Motors in China, ex-pat Australian Kevin Wale, says he is unsure if the next model would follow in the current car's tyre tracks.

"It struggles because it's a large car with a large displacement engine. It's been around a while, it's not the newest kid on the block. It's doing a few sales but not huge business," Wale told the Carsales Network at Auto Shanghai yesterday.

Last year GM China sold 3500 Buick Park Avenues but sales have more than halved this year, selling at a rate of 100 vehicles per month.

In Australia, Caprice sales are up by 9.5 per cent in the first three months of this year. But this does not take into account the lack of Statesman sales, since Holden dropped that nameplate late last year.

When Statesman and Caprice sales are combined, Holden's luxury long wheelbase model is down by 18 per cent year-to-date.

It is another reason the North American export deal for the Caprice police cruiser is so important to Holden.
 
In the meantime, GM China is not committing to repeat the Holden Caprice as a Buick Park Avenue.

When asked if GM China would do the same again, Wale said: "Don't know. It depends on the engines. You really need a lower displacement turbo engine to get into the marketplace … and that's not a natural fit for that size car. We'll look at it ... but it's an unusual [combination]."

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