The Buick Envision helped General Motors set a new January sales record in China.
Both General Motors and Ford set January sales records in China despite the continuing concerns about the Chinese economy.
In January, retail sales by General Motors and its joint ventures in China were up 7.3% year over year to a record 421,023 vehicles, as Buick posted its best-ever monthly sales, GM officials said. Demand was given a boost by the upcoming Chinese New Year holiday in early February.
Buick sales in January grew 39% from a year earlier to 138,907 units. Monthly sales of the brand exceeded 130,000 units for the first time, led by the Excelle GT and Envision SUV. Sales of the Envision more than doubled last month year over year.
“This year, GM and our joint ventures will continue to offer an unmatched choice of products across market segments along with new services to meet the needs of China’s car buyers,” said GM Executive Vice President and GM China President Matt Tsien. “Our new models, such as the Cadillac CT6 and Chevrolet Malibu XL, will be strong additions to our portfolio.”
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The Ford Escort helped the automaker's China operations to stellar sales last month, setting a new record for the Escort.
Ford reported sales soared 36%. The company said it sold 130,832 new vehicles there in January, due to record sales for the Ford Escort, the new Ford Mondeo and Ford’s sport-utility vehicle line-up.
“We are honored that customers are responding so positively to our vehicles,” John Lawler, chairman and CEO of Ford Motor China, said in a statement. “The combination of great performance and great value is clearly bringing more people into Ford showrooms.”
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Changan Ford Automobile, Ford’s passenger car joint venture, also broke sales records, with 111,856 vehicles sold, up 58% compared to January 2015 thanks to the Escort, Mondeo and Ford SUVs.
Jiangling Motors Corp., Ford’s commercial vehicle investment in China, sold 17,255 vehicles in January, down 24% compared to the same month last year. Ford last year sold a record 1.1 million vehicles in China, up 3% from the previous year.
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Changan Ford Automobile broke its annual sales record with 836,425 vehicles sold, a 7% increase from 2014. Jiangling Motors Corp. reported a 6% decline in annual sales.