General Motors unveils China-made hybrid car

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - General Motors Corp (GM.N) unveiled its first locally made environmentally friendly hybrid car in China on Tuesday and said it planned to roll out fuel cell-powered vehicles in the world's second largest auto market after 2010.

The Buick LaCrosse Eco-Hybrid, made by GM's flagship China car venture in Shanghai, can achieve fuel economy of 8.3 liters per 100 km, compared with 9.8 liters for non-hybrid models, the top U.S. automaker said in a statement.

GM, which is trying to overcome a reputation for focusing on gas-guzzling sport utility vehicles, did not say when the new model would hit showrooms or how much it would cost.

Shanghai GM, a tie-up between GM and biggest Chinese car maker SAIC Motor Corp (600104.SS), would launch another hybrid model later, it said but did not elaborate.

After 2010, the venture plans to start selling fuel cell-powered vehicles -- which run on hydrogen and emit only water vapor -- in China, the statement said.

Daimler AG (DAIGn.DE), Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T), Honda Motor Co Ltd (7267.T) and Hyundai Motor Co (005380.KS) are among automakers that are developing fuel cell vehicles for the mass market globally.

GM also said its Shanghai venture aimed to launch 11 engines that offer better fuel economy between 2009 and 2012.

(Reporting by Fang Yan, editing by Charlie Zhu)