The partnership among General Motors Co., Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. and Wuling Motors will launch its first passenger car model next year.

The partners outlined their plans Sunday at a press event in Shanghai.

The first Wuling car model will be a mid-sized sedan based on the Buick Excelle. The car was designed by the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center, a Shanghai design studio shared by GM and SAIC.

Baojun is the Chinese word for "treasured horse." The brand is aimed at the low end of China's fast-growing car market, a segment currently dominated by China's domestic brands.

"We aim to surpass customer expectations by creating a brand that combines world-class quality with low ownership costs," said Shen Yang, general manager of SAIC-GM-Wuling.

The SAIC-GM-Wuling joint venture is headquartered in the city of Liuzhou, in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The venture markets a range of entry-level commercial minivans and mini-trucks, with sales topping 1 million units in 2009.