BYD Auto's Jan sales grow 80% to 21,915 units

Shanghai, February 6 (Gasgoo.com) BYD Co, a Chinese battery and automobile producer based in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, is expected to post sales growth of nearly 80 percent year on year in January, Nanfang Daily reported today.

Official figures for automakers' sales in January is yet to release later this month, but the report said BYD is expected to post sales of 21,915 vehicles in January, up 79.8 percent from a year earlier.

Several other passenger car OEMs based in Guangdong province are also poised to post impressive monthly sales growth. According to the report, Guangzhou Honda Automobile Co and DongFeng Motor Co sold 28,000 and 30,111 vehicles respectively in January, both representing a year-on-year growth of higher than 20 percent.

The sales results follow reports that China might have passed the U.S. in monthly vehicle sales for the first time in January, a trend that could also make China into the world's largest new car market this year.

Industry insiders said that the government's supportive policies including reduction of auto purchase tax and incentives for the development of clean energy cars, are beginning to generate positive effects.