FUSHUN, China -- Imagine Philadelphia without a full-service dealership selling General Motors' brands. That was this city before He Sei opened his Buick and Chevrolet showrooms in July at a five-brand auto mall.

Before that, Buick and Chevy shoppers here had to consult a small satellite shop, then travel 40 miles to the nearest dealership. As a result, GM barely managed 2 percent of the local market, despite being No. 2 in nationwide sales.

This city in northeastern China is a boomtown of 2.2 million people jammed with miles of new apartments. Fushun has a larger population than every U.S. city except New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and, depending on how you measure it, Houston, Philadelphia and Phoenix.

A newly added Cadillac dealership is a sign of He's faith in the sales outlook for his American brands: "I expect 4 percent market share by the end of the year."