The Buick Century went on sale in China last week as General Motors seeks to expand its presence in the market for premium large multi-purpose vehicles.
The Century is the second large MPV GM is producing at its passenger-vehicle joint venture with SAIC Motor Corp., following the Buick GL8.
It is equipped with GM’s Ecotec 2.0T turbocharged gasoline engine, a nine-speed Hydra-Matic transmission and 48-volt mild-hybrid system.
The Century is 5,230 mm long, 1,980 mm wide, 1,867 mm tall, with a wheelbase of 3,130 mm. It is similar in size to the GL8, but will slot above the GL8 in price and content.
It features advance connectivity features such as a virtual cockpit system running on a 30-inch display, a 32-inch sliding screen in the partition wall with an integrated camera system and a high-resolution color head-up display.
The Century’s starting price is 529,900 yuan ($73,090) while the GL8 is 232,900 yuan.
The GL8 has remained the top-selling large-size MPV in China since its debut in 2000. In 2021, Buick delivered more than 160,000 GL8s, an increase of 3 percent from a year earlier, according to GM’s China unit.
In China, GM also sells the GL6 MPV under the Buick brand. With a starting price of 149,900 yuan, the GL6 is smaller than the GL8.