General Motors has reported continued growth in its Chinese sales for September, though the rate has slowed. The OEM and its joint ventures sold 244,266 vehicles in China last month, a modest rise of 1.7% year-on-year but a new record for September. Last month’s sales were up 10.5% from August’s 220,996 units. August sales were up 7.3% year-on-year. For the January-September period, the OEM’s sales in China remained up 10% on an annual basis, totalling a record 2,081,812 units.
Sales at the Shanghai GM joint venture increased 3.7% to set a new September record at 120,010 units. SAIC-GM-Wuling’s sales in China also set a September record though growth was modest, up 0.4% to 119,510 units. Domestic sales by FAW-GM fell 5% to 4,581 units, a notable turn from the 17.5% rise recorded in August.
Chevrolet sales in China totalled 56,166 units in September, another record for the month and a 3.2% rise from September 2011. The Sail was again the brand’s top seller, with September sales of 18,786 units. The Cruze came a close second, with sales of 18,338 units.
Buick’s September sales in China fell 1.8% on an annual basis to 62,120 units. Sales of the original Excelle family totalled 23,186 units. The Excelle XT and GT followed with sales of 15,311 units. September saw a new sales record for the Regal at 9,026 units.
Cadillac sales were down yet again last month, falling 8.3% year-on-year to 2,585 units. The SRX was its top seller with 1,800 units.
Wuling sales were down as well, falling 2.5% to 109,502 units. However, Baojun brand sales reached 9,147 units last month, up from 1,945 units sold in September 2011.
For the year-to-date, Shanghai GM’s domestic sales were up 6.7% to 966,832 units, SAIC-GM-Wuling’s domestic sales were up 13.7% to 1,070,131 units, and FAW-GM’s domestic sales slipped 1.4% to 41,249 units.
GM, along with other non-Japanese manufacturers, will likely benefit in the coming months from the current wave of anti-Japanese sentiment sweeping the country. Following a dispute over the small island chain in the East China Sea (Senkaku in Japanese/Diaoyu in Chinese), protestors have been calling for a boycott of Japanese goods. In places, the demonstrations against Japan have turned violent, with Japanese cars damaged or burnt on dealer lots. Mazda and Nissan both saw their sales in China fall 35% last month, while Toyota sales dropped 49% and Honda sales contracted 41%.The China Automobile Dealers Association has warned that the situation could prove more damaging to Japanese OEMs that the earthquake and tsunami of March 2011.
