GM China Passes 1.5 Million Units Sold

American manufacturer GM announced today it has managed to surpass the 1.5 million vehicles sold mark in China, after an extremely pleasing year in the region. In the first 10 months, GM and its Chinese partners sold 1,459,460 units, representing a rise of 59.8 percent from the first 10 months of 2008.

"This has been a year of records for GM in China,” Kevin Wale, GM China Group president said in a release. “It is GM’s priority to put the customer at the center of everything we do. This is reflected in our vehicle design, engineering and production.”

GM sold 68,505 passenger cars in October, more than double the amount sold in 2008 (109.7 percent). Shanghai GM managed to be the first domestic passenger car manufacturer in China in October.

“With our new engine and transmission technologies, we are able to present winning products that offer good fuel efficiency to satisfy local market needs. Many of our new products offer best-in-class fuel economy, including the new Buick LaCROSSE with an S6 transmission and the Buick New Regal 2.0L.”

SAIC-GM-Wuling sold 891,285 units in the first ten months of the year, with ten percent of them only in October. FAW-GM Light Duty Commercial Vehicle joint venture, set up in August, completes the picture with 8,687 vehicles sold.

GM's best performers were the Buick LaCrosse (6,000 units in October), Chevrolet Cruze and Chevrolet Lova (10,000 units) and Wuling Rong Guang minivan (20,000 units).