GM: China sales growth slow as demand moderates

SHANGHAI — General Motors Co. said growth in its China car sales slowed in September as demand in the world's biggest auto market moderated. Official sales data for September have been delayed by a weeklong national holiday from Oct. 1. But figures from several foreign and domestic automakers showed growth in sales easing. GM said its sales rose 15 percent to 208,353 vehicles in September, slowing from 19 percent in August and 22 percent in July. GM's total sales in China climbed 37.4 percent in January to September from a year earlier, to a record 1.78 million vehicles, the company said. Back in the US GM's sales slipped about 6 percent in September from August as potential buyers worried about spending on big ticket items steered clear of showrooms. They were up 10.5 percent from a year earlier, when sales slumped following the end of the Cash for Clunkers program. Total auto sales in China surged 45 percent to 13.6 million vehicles in 2009, making it the world's largest vehicle market. Analysts are forecasting that sales may climb roughly 30 percent to about 17 million for the year, providing a respite for automakers still fighting flat or weakening sales in the US and other more mature markets. Ford Motor China said its sales rose 26 percent in September from a year earlier, to 50,970 vehicles, up slightly from a 24 percent increase the month before. Sales in the first nine months of the year were up 40 percent at 419,073 units. Japan's Honda Motor saw sales inch up 3 percent in September from a year earlier, while sales for the year climbed a modest 16 percent. GM partner Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp., or SAIC, said sales of their Shanghai GM joint venture surged 41 percent year-on-year, while SAIC's overall sales grew 23 percent in September, up from 22 percent in August. SAIC VW, its venture with Germany's Volkswagen AG, saw sales climb 36 percent. Volkswagen, which did not report separate China sales figures for September, said its January-September sales jumped 39 percent from the year before to 1.48 million vehicles. — AP