GM Ends China Imports as Buick Envision Moves to US

General Motors will move production of the Buick Envision SUV from China to the United States, ending nearly a decade of imports as the automaker adjusts its manufacturing footprint amid ongoing trade tensions and tariffs on Chinese-built vehicles. GM said the next generation of the Envision will be built at its assembly plant in the Kansas City area starting in 2028.

The Buick Envision has been produced in China and imported to the United States since 2017, making it GM’s only vehicle sourced from China for the US market. The model has faced a 25% tariff since 2018, imposed during the Trump administration,  after GM failed to secure an exemption. Tariffs on Chinese vehicle imports increased further last year as trade frictions between Washington and Beijing intensified.

“This decision further strengthens GM’s domestic manufacturing footprint and supports US jobs,” the automaker said in a statement to Reuters. GM did not disclose investment figures associated with the production shift.

The Envision has drawn political attention in recent years as one of the few Chinese-made vehicles sold by a US automaker in the domestic market. It became a focal point for critics of Chinese imports, including leaders of the United Auto Workers union and elected officials in manufacturing-heavy states such as Michigan and Ohio. The tariff burden and political scrutiny have weighed on the models' long-term positioning in GM’s US lineup.

The Kansas City-area plant selected for Envision production is already part of GM’s broader effort to expand US-based manufacturing. Last year, the company announced plans to move production of the Chevrolet Equinox SUV from Mexico to the same facility, with manufacturing scheduled to begin in 2027. GM has also produced a limited run of the all-electric Chevrolet Bolt at the plant.

Once Bolt production concludes, GM plans to reconfigure the Kansas City facility to focus exclusively on internal combustion engine vehicles, according to the company. The addition of the Envision and Equinox is expected to increase utilization at the plant later in the decade.

GM is making similar adjustments across its North American manufacturing network. The automaker plans to shift production of the Chevrolet Blazer from Mexico to its Spring Hill, Tennessee, plant in 2027. These moves reflect a broader strategy to localize production of high-volume models in the United States as trade policy, tariffs and supply-chain considerations reshape automakers’ manufacturing decisions.