Dongfeng Auto set to sell 170,000 vehicles in '08

Dongfeng Automobile, one of China's biggest carmakers, announced on Dec 23 that the company is expecting to sell 170,000 vehicles in 2008.

The company has achieved its annual sales target of 122,000 units by December, and the sales volume at its subsidiary Zhengzhou Nissan Automobile has reached 45,000 units, making it possible for the carmaker to realize a combined year-round sales volume of 170,000 units, its planning department said.

Based in Hubei and listed in Shanghai, Dongfeng Automobile outstripped its competitors in sales of pickup trucks for the first 11 months of 2008, which rose 14.2 percent year-on-year. In the same period, the company exported 12,000 vehicles, rising 85 percent year-on-year.

Its engine-making joint venture with Cummins Inc, the Dongfeng Cummins Engine Co Ltd, sold 158,000 units of engines between January and November, the company said.