GM Sets March and Quarterly Sales Records in China

Chevrolet Cruze (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

General Motors and its joint ventures in China sold 257,944 vehicles in March and 745,152 vehicles in the first quarter of 2012, setting March and quarterly records.
GM’s domestic sales in March were up 10.7 percent from the same month in 2011. They were the second highest for any month in GM’s history in China. For the first three months as a whole, its domestic sales increased 8.7 percent, the best quarter since GM began doing business in China.
“GM has maintained our growth in our largest market in 2012, despite an overall industry slowdown,” said Kevin Wale, president and managing director of the GM China Group. “Our new models such as the Chevrolet Malibu have gotten off to a solid start, complementing the ongoing strength of established products such as the Buick Excelle, Chevrolet Cruze and Cadillac SRX.”
Shanghai GM’s domestic sales increased 10.5 percent on an annual basis to 110,038 units. SAIC-GM-Wuling’s sales in China increased 11.6 percent year on year to 139,768 units. FAW-GM’s domestic sales in March totaled 7,417 units. Sales at all three GM joint ventures were up from the previous month.
Demand for Buick products rose 3.7 percent on an annual basis to a March record 57,082 units. The brand was led by the Excelle, whose sales jumped 25.4 percent to 24,134 units, and the Excelle XT and GT, which had a collective sales increase of 22.7 percent to 14,064 units.
Chevrolet sales in China rose 11.1 percent year on year to a March record 54,716 units. The New Sail was the brand’s best-selling model, with demand for the sedan and hatchback rising 55.5 percent to 20,085 units. The Cruze remained a popular model as well, with sales growing 7.7 percent to 18,678 units. Sales of the Malibu totaled 4,289 units in its first full month on the market.
Cadillac continued its strong run in March, as sales increased 35.2 percent on an annual basis to a monthly record of 2,745 units. The SRX accounted for 2,143 of the luxury brand’s unit sales.
Wuling sales in China were up 9.9 percent on an annual basis to an all-time monthly record 130,251 units. The Baojun brand had sales of 5,012 units in its first March on the market.