In 1997, Shanghai General Motors Co. ltd. was established as a joint venture of the Shanghai -Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) and GM. The first Buick sedan went off the assembly line on December 17, 1998.

General Motors and Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) established a joint venture in 1997 called Shanghai General Motors Company Limited and began assembling the Buick Regal in Shanghai, China in April 1999.
The Regal has sold well in the Chinese market as a large, relatively luxurious model, despite its high price, costing more than the North American version. The Chinese market Regal has slightly different frontal sheetmetal compared to the North American version and different engines including a 2.0 L four-cylinder and a 2.5 L V6. These models also had slightly different names: the entry-level model was the New Century, with more upscale models carrying the GL and GLX names. Later, G and GS models were added. GM has exported the Shanghai-produced Regal to the Philippines, branded as the Chevrolet Lumina. Chinese production of this generation continued through the 2008 model year.