Shanghai Auto Show: Buick MPV Attracts Interest In High Places

by Bertel Schmitt

Published: April 20th, 2013

em shanghai auto show em buick mpv attracts interest in high places

Buick shows a few interesting concepts in Shanghai. One, a business MPV attracted the interest on GM’s competition at Toyota. Soon-to-be Toyota chairman Takeshi Uchiyamada came for a quick visit, eyed the prototype for a few seconds, and left.

He completely ignored the China-designed Buick Riviera concept.

#BertelSchmitt #Buick #ShanghaiAutoShow #Toyota

Bertel Schmitt

Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.

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9 of 23 comments

Marcelo de Vasconcellos on Apr 20, 2013

Don't you love it that whenever there's an old top suit he's always surrounded by some young'uns who look like they're there to lick off any dirty surfaces their always so funny boss my touch? Must be a catamite thing.

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- Ronnie Schreiber on Apr 21, 2013
  
  When Governor Rick Snyder of Michigan goes to the NAIAS in Detroit, he travels with two plainclothes Michigan State Police troopers and a single aide. It's a much smaller entourage than you'll see with someone like Carlos Ghosn or Dan Akerson. On the other hand, when the heads of the US EPA, DOT, Commerce or Treasury visit the NAIAS, they have even larger entourages than corporate heads do.
  
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- Summicron on Apr 21, 2013
  
  @Marcelo In 58 years of fairly voracious reading and in spite of a decent formal education, I had never encountered the word catamite. So I googled it. Wish I hadn't.
  
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- Marcelo de Vasconcellos on Apr 21, 2013
  
  @Summicron oh, this article was just an excuse to use the word. Derek used it a couple of days ago and i had to do like you. I was just consolidating my new knowledge. Never know when it could come in handy.
  
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Burakvtec on Apr 21, 2013

it is hard to understand for me "Buick" love of chinese people...

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- CJinSD on Apr 21, 2013
  
  Buick got there when the alternatives were Communist built garbage and Volkswagens. That's what's called managing expectations. It will take quite a while for the Chinese to collectively understand that Buicks are nothing special.
  
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- PintoFan on Apr 21, 2013
  
  @CJinSD I disagree. It didn't take them very long to figure out that Toyotas were nothing special.
  
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- VA Terrapin on Apr 22, 2013
  
  It's heritage. The last Emperor of China, Puyi, owned a Buick. So did Sun Yat-sen, a Chinese nationalist who is revered by both Communist and anti-Communist Chinese as the founding father of modern China. And Chiang Kai-shek, a Chinese nationalist and anti-Communist. And Zhou Enlai, a very high ranking Communist.
  
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- Buickman on Apr 22, 2013
  
  @VA Terrapin China is the opposite of Western culture in that they respect their elders and focus on their well being. having an older client base and persona isn't a negative in the Middle Kingdom.
  
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