Buick in China The first Buick model off the line was just the beginning of General Motors long march into the Chinese market. A total of 23,000 cars rolled out of the factory in 1999. This year, Shanghai GM Buick aims to produce 50,000 cars. It is interesting to review the long negotiations with the Chinese government to set up Shanghai GM Buick. The biggest issue was who would supply the car parts and how the parts would get from the factory to the Buick plant. A car is made up of more than 30,000 parts. Parts manufacturers in China dont have the technological know-how to make all the necessary parts. Therefore, at the beginning, about half the necessary parts will be shipped to Shanghai from North America. These parts are made at GMs Tillsonburg. Ontario facility. The trains carry the parts over 3,000 miles to the Port of Vancouver. From Vancouver, the parts are shipped to Shanghai. All told, the door-to-door delivery time is 17 days. But there may be a 42-day delay between steel plates leaving the steel works in America and arriving in Shanghai. To prevent the long-distance shipping and delay, Shanghai GM Buick has asked Shanghai Baoshan steelworks to produce plates of similar quality. Imported car parts are our biggest headache, says Jay Hunt, local suppliers are very responsive. To our surprise, however, the cost of localized production is much higher than buying from overseas. The reason is that although labor costs are low in China, wages comprise only 20% of the cost of producing car parts. Small-scale production in China makes production costs very high. The deputy general manager, Laurence Zahner said, Only if the price of domestic parts drops 30% shall we be able to qualify for the international market. Thankfully, a solution has appeared. Foreign car parts makers are coming to the Yangtse River Delta to set up joint ventures. Shanghai GM Buick will depend on those parts makers for car parts. Perhaps the Buick plant will not worry about the agreement with the Chinese partner any longer. The agreement says that in the first year of production, the Buick plant must have 42% of locally made parts, and in the second year, the locally made parts rise to 60%, and in the third year, 80%. 1. What was the biggest issue in the negotiation between the Chinese government and General Motors? A) Annual production of cars. B) The location of Shanghai GM Buick. C) Car parts and their shipment. D) The price of domestic car parts. 2. How many car parts is a car made up of? A) 23,000 B) 30,000 C) 50,000 D) 62,000 3. Who was the first supplier of the car parts to Shanghai GM Buick? A) Baosteel steelworks. B) Joint ventures in China. C) GMs Tillsonburg. D) The Buick plant in the Yangtse River Delta. 4. How does Shanghai GM Buick feel about the agreement on localization with Chinese partner? A) Disappointed. B) Hesitated. C) Unhappy. D) Confident. 5. With foreign car parts makers coming to the Yangtse River Delta, how does Shanghai GM Buick feel about the localized production of car parts? A) The production cost is too high. B) To carry out the agreement on localized production is impossible. C) The quality of localized car parts must be improved. D) The localization agreement can be carried out without any problem. KEY: CBCAD
2015届高考英语一轮复习教案:Module 4《A Social SurveyMy Neighbourhood》(外研版必修一)
2015届高考英语一轮跟踪训练:选修7 unit4《sharing》
2015届高三英语一轮复习课时演练:必修3 unit 3 The Million Pound Bank Note(人教版)
2015届高考英语一轮复习教案:Module 5《A Lesson in a Lab》(外研版必修一)
2015届江苏高考英语一轮课时演练:必修3 Unit 2 Language
2015届高考英语一轮复习教案:Module 3《Adventure in Literature and the Cinema》(外研版必修五)
2015届江苏高考英语一轮课时演练:必修1 Unit 2 Growing pains
2015届高考英语一轮复习教案:Module 4《Fine ArtsWestern,Chinese and Pop Arts》(外研版必修二)
2015届高三英语一轮复习课时演练:必修4 unit 5 Theme parks(人教版)
2015届高三英语一轮复习课时演练:必修2 unit 5 Music(人教版)
2015届江苏高考英语一轮课时演练:必修1 Unit 3 Looking good, feeling good
2015届高考英语一轮跟踪训练:选修7 unit5《travelling abroad》
2015届高考英语一轮复习教案:Module 3《Music》(外研版必修二)
2015届高三英语一轮复习课时演练:必修3 unit 1 Festivals around the world(人教版)
2015届江苏高考英语一轮课时演练:必修1 Unit 1 School life
2015届江苏高考英语一轮课时演练:必修2 Unit 3 Amazing people
2015届高三英语一轮复习课时演练:必修4 unit 3 A taste of English humour(人教版)
2015届高考英语一轮复习教案:Module 6《Animals in Danger》(外研版必修五)
2015届江苏高考英语一轮课时演练:必修4 Unit 1 Advertising
2015届江苏高考英语一轮课时演练:必修5 Unit 3 Science and nature
2015届江苏高考英语一轮课时演练:必修2 Unit 2 Wish you were here
2015届高考英语一轮复习教案:Module 3《My First Ride on a Train》(外研版必修一)
2015届高考英语一轮复习教案:Module 3《The Violence of Nature》(外研版必修三)
2015届高三英语一轮复习课时演练:必修4 unit 4 Body language(人教版)
2015届高考英语一轮复习教案:Module 2《DevelopingandDevelopedCountries》(外研版必修三)
2015届高考英语一轮复习教案:Module 2《No Drugs》(外研版必修二)
2015届高考英语一轮复习教案:Module 5《Great People and Great Inventions of Ancient China》(外研版必修三)
2015届江苏高考英语一轮课时演练:必修5 Unit 2 The environment
2015届高考英语一轮跟踪训练:必修1 unit3《travel journal》
2015届高考英语一轮复习教案:Module 2《Traffic Jam》(外研版必修四)
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