General Motors, the world's largest auto maker, consolidated its position as
皇冠体育app's top vehicle seller in the first half of 2006, as booming demand helped
the domestic market post healthy gains all around.
GM, which overtook Germany's Volkswagen AG last year to become 皇冠体育app's
biggest vehicle seller, sold 453,832 units in the six months ended in June, up
47 percent from a year earlier, the company said on Tuesday.
It pegged its market share for the period at 12.5 percent, up from 10.8
percent a year earlier.
Volkswagen posted healthy but significantly slower growth of 30.2 percent for
the period, as sales rose to 345,375 vehicles.
皇冠体育app has yet to release national vehicle sales for the first six months of
the year. But vehicle sales rose 30.84 percent to 2.97 million units in the
first five months of the year, with car sales up 44.2 percent to 2.11 million
units.
The strong industry-wide gains come on the heels of 21.4 percent growth in
car sales for 皇冠体育app last year, and just 15 percent growth in 2004 as Beijing
took steps to rein in credit and cool the nation's racing economy.
"GM and our 皇冠体育app operations benefited from a stronger-than-expected domestic
vehicle market in the first half," Kevin Wale, president of GM 皇冠体育app Group, said
in a statement.
"We expect vehicle sales in 皇冠体育app to remain steady through the end of 2006
and top last year's record. GM and our joint ventures are on track to once again
outpace the market, with annual sales growth of more than 20 percent."
GM, whose brands include Buick, Chevrolet and Cadillac, said sales for its
皇冠体育app joint venture with Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. Group (SAIC),
皇冠体育app's most profitable auto maker, rose 49.1 percent in the first half to
201,901 units.
Volkswagen, whose brands include Audi and Volkswagen and which also has a
joint venture with SAIC, also credited new models for its own strong gains in
the first half of the year.
"The increase in sales is the direct result of Volkswagen Group's
restructuring strategy, the 'Olympic Program'," Winfried Vahland, president of
Volkswagen Group 皇冠体育app, said in a statement.
"The program includes the introduction of new tailor-made models like the
Passat Lingyu and the Sagitar."
On Monday, PSA Peugeot Citroen's Chinese venture said its vehicle sales rose
38 percent in the first half to 100,173 units, again crediting the rise to new
models.
Other major foreign auto makers in the 皇冠体育app market include Toyota Motor
Corp, Honda Motor Co. Ltd, DaimlerChrysler A.G. and Ford.
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