(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-01-23 10:48

DETROIT -- General Motors Corp. on Tuesday introduced the company's first hybrid that will be built and sold outside North America, a Buick sedan for the Chinese market.

The Buick LaCrosse Eco-Hybrid will be the first mass-produced, mainstream hybrid model in its segment in China, the company said. It will be built in China by Shanghai GM, an 11-year-old joint venture between GM and Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. Until now, all GM hybrids have been built and sold in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, GM spokesman Brian Corbett said.

The Buick LaCrosse Eco-Hybrid has what is known as a mild hybrid system, which is less complex but saves less fuel than GM's two-mode hybrid. The Buick LaCrosse Eco-Hybrid will get approximately 20 percent better fuel economy than the non-hybrid version. Shanghai GM said it plans to bring the two-mode system to China in a future vehicle that will get 50 percent better fuel economy.

Shanghai GM didn't say how much the Buick LaCrosse EcoHybrid will cost. It is expected to hit the market later this year.

Shanghai GM said the new vehicle is part of a strategy to help China reduce emissions. The automaker said that by 2012, it will roll out 11 new, fuel-saving engines and will cut coal consumption by 35 percent at its three Chinese manufacturing sites.

"Addressing the environmental protection and energy security issues is essential for ensuring the automotive industry's long-term sustainable development," Shanghai GM President Ding Lei said in a statement.