GM H1 China sales up 12.7% y/y to 590,126 units

General Motors Corp sold 12.7 percent more vehicles in China in the first half of this year than a year earlier, the company said on Monday, marking a slowdown from 18.5 percent growth in 2007.

Sales of GM vehicles came to 590,126 units in the January-to-June period, it said in a statement.

GM's commercial vehicle venture in south China sold 349,871 vehicles, it said, including 329,842 Wuling-brand vehicles. It gave no comparative figures for commercial vehicle sales overall, although sales of Wuling-brand vehicles were up 17.9 percent.

The number-one U.S. automaker did not provide overall sales figures for its flagship venture in Shanghai, but said sales of Chevrolet, one of its two core brands made at the venture with SAIC Motor Corp, jumped 34.6 percent to 109,131 units.

Sales of Buick brand vehicles made at the venture came to 146,321 units and Cadillac sales totalled 3,285 units, it said, but gave no comparative figures.

GM's main rival in China, Volkswagen AG, has yet to release its China sales figures for the first six months. Honda Motor sold 226,742 vehicles in the country during the period, up 21.3 percent from a year earlier.