Buick Excelle: the Chinese Buick that sold 2.68 million

The Buick Excelle is the name Shanghai General Motors has used for its subcompact cars since 2003. The first generation was a rebadged Daewoo Lacetti, and the model became one of the most successful Buicks ever built in China.

Buick Excelle at a glance

Based on one source, the English Wikipedia article on the Excelle.

History of the Buick Excelle

The original Excelle — «Kai Yue» in Chinese — was based on the Daewoo Lacetti, developed in South Korea. While the same car was sold worldwide as a Daewoo and, from 2004, as a Chevrolet in Europe, Shanghai GM sold it as a Buick.

The first generation came as a sedan or a wagon, plus the Excelle HRV hatchback; the HRV and wagon were built from 2005 to 2009, while the Shanghai-built sedan ran from April 2003 to August 2016. A 2008 facelift brought a new front and rear and a revised interior, partly inspired by the Buick Park Avenue. A second facelift in 2013 was little more than a new grille, and the 1.6-litre engine was replaced by a 1.5 that year. Prices ran from 96,900 to 118,900 yuan throughout.

In Taiwan the Excelle was assembled by Yulon Motors from 2007. Because importing from mainland China was impossible, the car arrived as a knock-down kit from South Korea, and the Taiwanese version had a completely different front end.

Alongside the Lacetti-based car, Shanghai GM also sold the Excelle GT, known in Chinese as Ying Lang, on GM’s global Delta II compact platform — the same one under the Chevrolet Cruze. A hatchback called the Excelle XT arrived in 2009, essentially a rebadged Opel Astra J, and a sedan followed in 2010 as the Excelle GT. An estate, the Excelle GX, came in 2018.

In August 2016 Buick stopped building the original Excelle despite strong sales, by then 2.68 million cars over thirteen years. The reason given was its low price while the brand moved upmarket, and there was no direct successor, with Chevrolet and Wuling covering the bottom of the market.

A second-generation Excelle was launched in June 2018, positioned below the Excelle GT and based on an all-new GEM platform. It used a 1.3-litre dual-injection three-cylinder engine of 79 kW (106 hp) and 133 N·m, with a six-speed manual or a CVT. By July 2023 the model was no longer listed on Buick China’s website, ending the name after two decades.

Design and features

• Lacetti underpinnings: the first Excelle was a Daewoo design with Buick badges.
• Three body styles: sedan, wagon and the HRV hatchback.
• Long life: the original sedan stayed in production from 2003 to 2016.
• Huge volume: 2.68 million first-generation cars sold.

Buick Excelle versions

• Excelle sedan (J200): the core model, built in Shanghai.
• Excelle HRV: the hatchback, 2005–2009.
• Excelle wagon: also 2005–2009.
• Excelle GT / XT: separate Delta II-based cars sold alongside it.
• Second generation (2018): 1.3-litre three-cylinder, CVT or manual.

The Excelle was Shanghai GM’s small car below the GL8 and the larger Buick sedans, and its 2008 facelift borrowed from the Park Avenue. More Buicks are in the Buick collection.

Sources

• Buick Excelle, English Wikipedia: origins, generations, engines, sales, end of production