GM takes sales lead in China

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/060710/china_autos.html?.v=2

China Car Sales Jump Nearly 50 Percent in First Half; GM Takes Lead, Report Says
SHANGHAI, China (AP) -- Auto sales in China rose nearly 50 percent in the first half of this year, with U.S. giant General Motors taking the lead, according to industry data reported Monday.

The data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers showed total sales in the first half at 1.8 million units, up 46.9 percent from the same period of 2005.

Shanghai GM, General Motors Corp.'s joint venture with state-owned Shanghai Automotive Industrial Corp., or SAIC, nudged aside former market leader FAW Volkswagen, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

Recent data have shown a continued revival in sales following a slump in early 2004. Vehicle sales rose 21 percent in 2005, up from 15 percent in 2004.

The report gave no sales figures for individual automakers. However, GM earlier reported that the its sales at Shanghai GM had jumped 49 percent year-on-year in the first half to 201,901, helped by the popularity of its best-selling sedan, the Excelle.

Next was Shanghai Volkswagen Co., Volkswagen AG's venture with SAIC, the Xinhua report said, followed by FAW Volkswagen, domestic maker Chery Automobile Co., Beijing Hyundai Motor Co., Tianjin FAW Toyota Automobile Co., Tianjin-FAW Xiali Automobile Co., local maker Geely Automobile Co., Guangzhou Honda Automobile Co. and Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen Automobile Co., the report said.

The top 10 automakers accounted for 1.27 million units, or about 70 percent of total sales, it said.

According to earlier released data, GM and its joint ventures sold 453,832 vehicles in China in the January-June period, up 47 percent from first-half 2005.

Volkswagen reported its sales jumped 30 percent in the first half, to 345,375 vehicles.

Honda Automobile Co.'s China unit said Monday that its auto sales rose 22 percent in the first half of this year to 143,519 units, from 117,751 units in January-June 2005.

Guangzhou Honda, a joint venture with Denway Motors Ltd., sold 123,512 autos in the first half, up 16 percent over a year earlier, the Japanese automaker said. Denway Motors is an investment holding company of state-owned Guangzhou Automobile Co., with shares traded in Hong Kong.

Honda's sales through its joint venture with Dongfeng Motor Group Co. rose 73 percent to 20,007, the company said.

I just wrote a 10 page term paper on this topic and uncovered lots of interesting info on the history of their auto industry and the huge changes it has seen in the last 5 years alone. Sales there will continue to skyrocket as long as they can manage to get enough fuel, production infrastructure, and skilled mechanics to match it. It's a VERY good thing that GM is riding the leading edge of the wave IMO. This is exactly what GM needs to be doing - slimming down in the US and in turn pumping up production and sales outside the US.

When I was there a few years ago, GM was hawking the Regal on billboards. It was like our Regal, but had clear blinkers, and the dash was a bit different, it had an analog clock! Plus they use curtains in the car for shade, not window tint (the owners, not GM). The Regal was apparently some sort of status symbol there.

This is all well and good, but if China refuses to put pressure on North Korea to ditch their missle program.....could we see some serious sanctions placed on U.S-Chinese trade? :think:

I doubt it. There is too much at stake for the US economy to risk a breakdown in US/China trade. At the moment, the N Korean situation doesn't warrant that level of action.

Ya I have a feeling this has the potential to backfire on us. With car sales growing so incredibly fast in China and gas production so tight doesnt that just mean that gas prices are going to get higher pretty quick in the United States. People still think that every GM vehicle is a gas guzzler (many are).

When I was there a few years ago, GM was hawking the Regal on billboards. It was like our Regal, but had clear blinkers, and the dash was a bit different, it had an analog clock! Plus they use curtains in the car for shade, not window tint (the owners, not GM). The Regal was apparently some sort of status symbol there.
They still sell the same Regal, updated but still the pre MS2000 W-body version. They also have a new Lacrosse which is basically a loaded up version of the one we have with newer sheetmetal. I like it but understood that it would cost quite a bit more to get that version in the states.

http://www.buick.com.cn