SAIC-GM-Wuling May sales up 5.2% to 105,395 vehicles

Shanghai, June 7 (Gasgoo.com) SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile Co., General Motors' mini commercial vehicle joint venture in China with SAIC Motor and Liuzhou Wuling Automobile, sold 105,395 vehicles in May, growing only 5.2% from a year earlier, media reported today.

The sales growth last month was slower than in April when sales at the venture rose 18.9% from a year earlier at 113,633 units which led China's passenger vehicle makers in April sales. In the first five months, sales of SAIC-GM-Wuling grew 33% year on year to 545,400 vehicles.

SAIC-GM-Wuling, a leader in China's mini-van market, expects to sell 1.23 million vehicles this year, up 16%. For this target, Wuling-brand vehicles may sell 1.15 million units, and Chevrolet Spark car sales may come to 80,000, media reported.

In 2009, SAIC-GM-Wuling became the first auto producer in China to sell more than 1 million vehicles in a year, increasing its domestic sales by 63.9% to 1,061,213 units. The Wuling Sunshine, with sales of 596,630 units, set a Chinese record for annual sales by a single car model.

GM said its May sales in China totaled 196,004 units, losing some steam from the previous month due to slower sales growth of small commercial vehicles. GM China sales in April jumped 41.1% year on year to a record 213,115 vehicles. Sales in the first five months grew 53.9% to one million units.