Buick Envision Assembly Moving From China To U.S.

Buick sells just four vehicles in the United States, and only one of them is assembled domestically. That imbalance is set to change later this decade as General Motors moves production of Buick’s compact crossover from China to the United States, a shift driven largely by the financial pressure created by U.S. import tariffs.

According to a report in Automotive News, General Motors said the next-generation Buick compact crossover will be built at its Fairfax Assembly plant in Kansas City, Kansas, beginning in 2028. The vehicle will share its platform with the Chevrolet Equinox. The automaker did not confirm the model name or provide a precise launch timetable, but the move will end nearly a decade of U.S.-market Envision imports from China.

The decision marks a significant change for Buick, which has been among the most tariff-exposed brands in the U.S. market. The Envision has been sourced from China since 2016, while Buick’s two highest-volume vehicles, the Envista and Encore GX, are produced in South Korea. The larger Enclave, Buick’s only U.S.-built vehicle, is assembled in Michigan.

That global manufacturing footprint has become increasingly costly under President Donald Trump’s import tariffs. Automakers across the industry are reassessing whether it makes more financial sense to absorb tariff costs, pass them on to consumers through higher prices, or relocate production to the United States despite higher domestic manufacturing expenses.

For Buick, the stakes are higher than for most brands because of its limited lineup. Each nameplate plays an outsized role in sustaining dealer networks and maintaining brand relevance. General Motors previously sought tariff relief for the Envision during the first Trump administration, citing its relatively low sales volume but strategic importance to Buick. That request was denied, leaving the company to absorb years of added import costs.

Automotive News reports that General Motors said it will continue importing the current Envision from China until production of the next-generation model begins in Kansas. More than 400,000 Envisions have been imported to North America since the model launched, according to the Automotive News Research & Data Center.

At present, the Envision is one of only two vehicles sold in the U.S. that are assembled in China, the other being the Lincoln Nautilus. Automotive News says it's been told by industry analysts that Ford Motor Co. is likely evaluating whether to move Nautilus production to the United States, though the company has not announced any changes.

The Fairfax Assembly plant is central to General Motors’ broader U.S. manufacturing strategy. The facility currently builds the second-generation Chevrolet Bolt electric crossover on a limited basis and is scheduled to add Chevrolet Equinox production in 2027 after the Bolt ends production. As we reported here last June, General Motors has previously announced it will invest $4 billion across three U.S. assembly plants, including Fairfax, to support additional gasoline-powered vehicle production.

By 2027, General Motors also plans to shift production of the gasoline-powered Chevrolet Blazer from Mexico to its Spring Hill, Tennessee, plant while maintaining Mexican production for other global markets.

General Motors’ moves mirror a wider industry trend. Since tariffs were enacted last year, multiple automakers have announced plans to expand U.S. production. Stellantis has committed $13 billion over four years to boost U.S. manufacturing capacity by 50 percent, including relocating production of Jeep Compass and Cherokee models for U.S. customers to Illinois. Volvo Cars is preparing to begin U.S. production of the XC60 in South Carolina, while Honda has moved Civic hybrid production from Japan to Indiana. Hyundai Motor Group has outlined $26 billion in U.S. investments by 2028, including vehicle assembly and a new steel mill in Louisiana.

Industry data shows a measurable shift toward domestically assembled vehicles. According to the Automotive News Research & Data Center, sales of vehicles imported from outside North America fell 0.2 percent in 2025, while overall U.S. light-vehicle sales rose 2.2 percent. Sales of vehicles built in North America increased 2.9 percent, marking the first annual decline in overseas-assembled vehicle sales since 2022. The share of vehicles sold in the U.S. that were assembled domestically rose from about 51 percent early in 2025 to 56 percent by year’s end.

Buick reported its third consecutive annual U.S. sales increase in 2025, with an 8 percent gain. Envision sales, however, declined 11 percent to 41,924 units, including a sharp drop late in the year. Pricing pressures have intensified, with the 2026 Envision starting at $42,995 including shipping, nearly 8 percent higher than the 2025 model.

General Motors executives and industry analysts have indicated that producing the next-generation Buick compact crossover in the United States could improve pricing flexibility and profitability if domestic production proves less expensive than importing vehicles subject to tariffs. The long-term calculus remains complicated by uncertainty around future trade policy, including a scheduled review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which governs much of North American automotive production and sourcing.

As automakers plan future product cycles, the balance between tariff costs, manufacturing investments, and political considerations is increasingly shaping where vehicles are built—and which products make financial sense to sell in the U.S. market.

Photo: Buick/General Motors.