A leaked document reveals General Motors is planning to be the first car maker to sell Chinese-built cars in America.

The document reveals GM's plans to sell Chinese-built cars in the U.S. from 2011. Official predictions show that it expects to sell 17,335 Chinese-built vehicles in the the first year, rising to 51,546 by 2014.

The revelation was contained in a document that GM showed to federal law makers, as it tries to avoid being forced into Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The document also reveals that GM expects its total U.S. sales to rise 50 percent within the next five years. Of the 3.1 million vehicles GM is predicting to sell in total in 2014, only 1.6 percent are expected to be the Chinese-built models.

The plans are also subject to change pending the outcome of negotiations with the UAW workers' union, which has previously criticized GM's plans to sell more cars built outside the U.S. UAW legislative director Alan Reuther has previously said: "GM should not be taking taxpayers’ money simply to finance the outsourcing of jobs to other countries."

Source: Autocar