Chinese Shopping To Buy American Or European Luxury Brand - Who Is Ripe For The Picking?

Beijing Automotive Group, Daimler's Chinese partner, said it wants to buy a "mid to high-end brand" in Europe or the United States to boost its global presence and it already has candidates in mind.

The state-owned automaker said last year it was seeking to acquire an European brand, but now the search has extended to the United States, according to Dong Haiyang, who heads Beijing Auto's international expansion.

It will take time for Beijing Auto to break into global markets with its BAIC nameplate, which is little known overseas, so buying a foreign brand is a shortcut, Dong, president of BAIC International Development Co, told a media briefing in Beijing today.

"We have candidates," he said.

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JDMUSMuscle - 4/3/2014 6:33:50 PM

0 Boost

Hmm, it would be nice if they would just buy out Ford and GM. Since the Americans no longer care about Made in the USA and such, the Chinese might as well just buy those two.

MattDarringer - 4/3/2014 7:57:03 PM

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Marchionne doesn't have the brains to do this, but selling Dodge and Alfa Romeo to BAIC in exchange platform sharing and cost reduction would be brilliant. Jaguar could also be an easy target. The entire Jaguar brand sold 1/2 the volume of the premium Hyundai Genesis sedan. Jaguar is still a steaming money pit.

ParadoX - 4/3/2014 9:46:21 PM

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Lincoln?

MattDarringer - 4/4/2014 8:25:00 AM

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That would solve Ford's problem.

HughJass - 4/4/2014 9:27:51 AM

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Saab because I'm sure its new owners haven't made any money on them yet.

Fiat could always sell off Lancia. It's not luxury as far as I know but it sounds European so the Chinese will eat it up and its not likely they'll know any better.

If we are smart enough to still hold the trademarks, sell the Mercury or Pontiac nameplates.

MattDarringer - 4/4/2014 7:23:27 PM

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SAAB = a brand no one cares about. Lancia = a brand that even less care about. Ford should sell Lincoln and rebadge their Lincolns as Mercurys.

MattDarringer - 4/5/2014 10:11:13 AM

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To be accurate, Cadillac and Buick have had atypical--for GM--quality.

HughJass - 4/7/2014 10:54:33 AM

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For some reason the Chinese get stiffies when they see a Buick. Maybe sell that off to them since we can't bring back the profits from selling Buicks in China anyways.