You walk into a dealership, check out a shiny new Buick, and assume it rolled off an American assembly line. Think again. While GM waves the stars and stripes, one of its best-selling Buick crossovers comes straight from China. And it’s not alone. Several familiar luxury models—some with deep American roots—are now built overseas and shipped stateside. If you thought Chinese cars weren’t in U.S. showrooms yet, buckle up.

A quiet shift in luxury car manufacturing

For years, American automakers have fought to keep Chinese-badged cars out of U.S. showrooms. But while political battles rage, some of the most recognizable brands—Buick, Lincoln, and Volvo—are already importing vehicles from China. And most buyers have no idea.

Buick, founded in 1899 and now America’s oldest surviving automaker, was actually a pioneer in this trend. The Buick Envision, one of the brand’s top-selling crossovers, has been built in China since 2014. Why? Because Buicks are hugely popular in China, so GM has a factory there. The little Envision was originally engineered for the Chinese market exclusively.

General Motors first started shipping the Buick Envision to the U.S. in 2016. When President Trump’s tariffs threatened to derail the plan, GM decided to eat the extra cost rather than pull the model from dealerships. Today, every Buick Envision on U.S. roads comes from a factory in Shandong province.

Lincoln followed suit with the 2024 Nautilus. The luxury SUV was previously built in Canada, but when Ford retooled its Ontario plant for EV production, it shifted Nautilus assembly to China. Instead of finding a new factory in North America, Ford decided to ship every single Nautilus from its Hangzhou plant directly to U.S. buyers.

Then there’s Volvo, which has deep Swedish roots but is now majority-owned by China’s Geely Holding Group. Volvo has been quietly importing the S90 sedan from China since 2016. The compact electric EX30, arriving in 2025, will also be assembled in China before hitting U.S. showrooms.

How did we get to importing Buicks from China?

American automakers love China—not just as a manufacturing hub, but as a massive customer base. Buick sells far more cars in China than it does in the U.S., which is why GM has no problem designing models for that market first. Lincoln’s Chinese sales have skyrocketed, so much so that Ford’s luxury brand now builds more vehicles there than it does in the U.S. And with Volvo’s Chinese parent company running the show, the brand’s manufacturing footprint in China continues to expand.

There’s also a cost factor. Building cars in China is simply cheaper, and while tariffs complicate the math, many automakers have determined that importing certain models still makes financial sense. Even if tensions between the U.S. and China continue to escalate, Buick, Lincoln, and Volvo show no signs of shifting production back.

Made in China, parked in your driveway

Chinese-built cars aren’t just coming—they’re already here. Buick, Lincoln, and Volvo have quietly moved production overseas, and despite political pressure, they aren’t slowing down. Whether you’re behind the wheel of an Envision, Nautilus, or Volvo S90, there’s a chance your “American” car took a long boat ride before hitting the lot.