GM says China vehicle sales up 67 pct in 2009

(chinatrucks.com, Jan.4, 2010)General Motors' China vehicle sales in 2009 jumped 66.9 percent from a year earlier, the company said on Monday as Beijing's policy initiatives drove customers to showrooms.

General Motors, which competes with Volkswagen AG (VOWG.DE) and others, sold 1.83 million vehicles in the country last year and expanded its market share to an estimated 13.4 percent, up from 12.1 percent at the end of 2008, it said in a statement.

Shanghai GM, its flagship car venture with SAIC Motor Corp (600104.SS), sold 727,620 cars in 2009, up 63.3 percent from a year earlier, it said.

SAIC-GM-Wuling, GM's commercial vehicle tie-up with SAIC and Liuzhou Wuling Automobile, sold 1.06 million vehicles last year, up 63.9 percent.

FAW-GM Light Duty Commercial Vehicle Co, a tie-up with FAW Group set up in August, sold 34,510 light trucks and vans up to the year-end.

"We are proud of our performance in 2009," Kevin Wale, president and managing director for GM's China operations, said in the statement.

"Chinese consumers responded enthusiastically to our line-up of modern, fuel-efficient and stylish products,"

In 2009, GM launched several new models in China, including the new Buick LaCROSSE and new Regal, popular among the business elite. It had said that it planned to roll out 30 new or revamped models in China from 2009 to 2014.

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