GM Channels 20th Century Toyota With $11 Billion China Bet: Cars

General Motors Co., the largest carmaker in the U.S., is shifting its center of gravity to China, where it sells more cars and now invests more money.

GM’s announcement at the Shanghai auto show this month that it is spending $11 billion by 2016 on new plants, products and people in China demonstrates a change in priorities. Since its 2009 bankruptcy, GM has announced $8.5 billion of investment in the U.S., where it has a more modest assembly-plant footprint.