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Industry watchers say General Motors Corp.'s aggressive export plan helped the automaker win the bidding war with Ford Motor Co. for a midsize sedan/minivan assembly project with Shanghai Automotive Industry (Group) Corp. (SAIC). The GM-SAIC deal could include construction of an assembly plant in Shanghai capable of producing at least 100,000 vehicles per year, as well as a new engine and transmission factory. GM will build a midsize sedan based on the next-generation Buick Regal or Century, and also wants to build its upcoming revamped front-wheel-drive minivan.
