Chery Auto Q1 car sales top 100,000 units

Shanghai, April 10 (Gasgoo.com) Chinese carmaker Chery Auto sold 35,000 vehicles in March this year and its sales in the first quarter exceeded 100,000 units, xinhuanet.com reported today.

In the first three months of 2009, Chery Auto successfully shifted the sales focus of its vehicle products from minicar models of the QQ series to mid-sized sedan models led by the Chery A3 and Chery Tiggo.

Chery Auto sold more than 30,000 vehicles in each of the past three months. In January, the company hit a monthly record of selling 35,000 vehicles amid the market downturn, followed by 30,000 units in February and 35,000 units in March.

A company executive said Chery Auto bucked the market trend earlier this year by implementing its "brand, quality, service" strategies, and will continue to boost its sales by introducing more high-quality models and adjusting the sales pattern.

To boost the images and growth of its four strategic passenger vehicle brands -- Chery, Riich, Rely and Karry (minicar), Chery Auto has set up three sales divisions -- Chery Sales Company, Qilin Sales Company (for Riich and Rely), and Karry Sales Company.

The carmaker has announced that it will bring its three sales divisions, 24 new car models to the upcoming Shanghai auto show later this month to present the new image of "Greater Chery."

Chery's car sales fell to 356,000 units in 2008 from 381,000 of a year earlier. The company aims to sell 419,000 cars in 2009.