Dive Brief:
- General Motors is moving production of the Buick Envision SUV from China to its Fairfax Assembly in Kansas City, Kan., beginning in 2028, GM spokesperson Kevin Kelly confirmed to WardsAuto.
- The current model is assembled at the SAIC-GM Jinqiao South plant in Shanghai and exported to the U.S. It is subject to a combined tariff rate of 47.5% as part of the Trump Administration's ongoing trade war with China aimed at boosting U.S. manufacturing.
- “This decision further strengthens GM’s domestic manufacturing footprint and supports U.S. jobs, building on $5.5 billion in new investments announced across our U.S. manufacturing sites in the last year,” Kelly said in a statement.
Dive Insight:
Due to tariff pressure, GM raised the price of the Buick Envision several times last year. The current tariffs on vehicles imported from China include a standard duty of 2.5%, a Section 301 tariff of 25% and an additional 20% reciprocal tariff under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act put in place by the Trump administration to counter tariffs imposed by other countries on U.S. goods.
The 2026 Buick Envision now costs roughly $5,000 more than the previous model, following a $2,000 price hike last spring, according to Kelley Blue Book. The automaker also hiked the destination charge to $1,995.
The higher sticker price has significantly impacted sales of the imported SUV. In early January, GM reported Envision sales in Q4 2025 were down by 60.9% year over year to 5,054 units. For the full year, sales declined by 11.4% to 41,924 units.
The move to onshore Buick Envision, which is equipped with a internal combustion engine, is part of a broader plan by GM announced last year to boost its U.S. manufacturing capacity to mitigate tariff impacts, adapt to changes in electric vehicle demand and boost production of its more profitable full-size truck and SUV models.
In June 2025, GM announced plans to invest roughly $4 billion in its U.S. assembly plants in three states over a 2-year period to boost output of both gas and electric vehicles. The automaker said the investments would provide it with the ability to build 2 million vehicles a year in the U.S.
GM expects a charge of $7.1 billion for 2025 to realign its North America product strategy. The $7.1 billion charge includes an additional $1.1 billion in non-EV-related charges related to the restructuring of its China joint venture.
Additional product and timing details for the U.S.-built Buick Envision will be shared closer to launch, GM said in a statement.
