Auto Sales Higher in US, Slowing in China

VOA News
August 3, 2010 at 4:12 pm

The biggest U.S. automaker says sales are up in the United States and China.

General Motors said Tuesday U.S. sales rose 5.4 percent in July compared to a year ago.

GM said sales of its core four brands – Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac – were especially strong, increasing 25 percent. Sales of GM’s other brands, which are being sold or closed, fell drastically.

Earlier, GM and Ford said sales of their Chinese brands were strong but slowing.

GM said Chinese sales grew 22 percent in July compared to the same time last year, slower than the 45 percent growth rate for the first seven months of the year.

Ford said its total China auto sales grew 8 percent in July, compared to 38 percent for the first seven months of 2010.

Ford said the company was seeing a more traditional sales pattern compared to what it described as “blistering hot” sales in 2009.

China last year became the world’s biggest auto market, with 13.6 million vehicles sold compared to 10.4 million in the United States. China’s Automotive Technology and Research Center said Monday that it expects auto sales to slow in August.

General Motors says it has sold more cars in China than it has in the United States this year.

That is a first for GM, which remains the biggest U.S. auto maker despite a painful bankruptcy reorganization last year. It reported selling 1.21 million vehicles in China during the first six months of this year, compared to 1.07 million sold in the United States. Some information in this story was provided by AP and Bloomberg.