GAC Trumpchi own brand sales increase 28% in first half of 2012

Gasgoo.com (Shanghai July 30) - Sales of Guangzhou Automobile Group's own brand series Trumpchi are continuing to grow well into 2012. The Nanfang Daily cited a statement made by GAC Vice President Xu Yulin where he said that total Trumpchi sales had grown 28 percent over the six months of the year. GAC plans to sell 40,000 Trumpchis over the course of the year, Mr. Xu added.

According to Mr. Xu, June sales of the Trumpchi GS5 urban SUV (pictured), which made its debut in May, totaled 2,000 units. After revising production processes, sales are expected to jump to around 2,600 units. He believes that its monthly sales will break the 3,000 barrier before long.

The GS5 has helped GAC net a new demographic of customers. According to Mr. Xu, sales of the own brand last year, when it only consisted of one model, were approximately 17,000 units. With the introduction of the GS5, that number is expected to over double to 400,000 units this year. Despite Chinese automobile market growth decreasing as a whole, SUV sales in the country are still on the rise.

GAC will introduce a new Trumpchi model every year, with plans next year to release a new subcompact, Mr. Xu added.