Shanghai - The growing strength of the Chevrolet brand helped General Motors and its domestic joint ventures in China achieve record first half sales.  Sales of the GM family in China rose 12.7 percent on an annual basis to 590,126 units.

Sales of Chevrolet, one of GM’s two foundational brands in China, jumped 34.6 percent in the first half to 109,131 units.  Chevrolet benefited from strong demand for the Lova compact sedan and new Epica intermediate sedan.  Both models are manufactured by Shanghai GM.

Shanghai GM also continued to enjoy strong demand for its flagship Buick brand, with sales in the first half reaching 146,321 units.  The Buick Excelle once again led the way in China’s midsize vehicle segment, with sales of 90,604 units.  In addition, sales of the Cadillac luxury brand in the first half totaled 3,285 units.  Among the new products coming from Shanghai GM in the second half are the Chevrolet Aveo 1.2 and Buick LaCrosse Eco-Hybrid.

SAIC-GM-Wuling sold 349,871 vehicles in the first half.  Its Wuling brand remained the leader in the mini-commercial vehicle segment, with sales rising 17.9 percent on an annual basis to 329,842 units.  The Wuling Sunshine minivan was the industry’s best-selling model in the first six months, with sales of 235,700 units.

“The Chinese vehicle market has continued to grow in 2008, setting a new first half sales record,” according to Kevin Wale, President and Managing Director of the GM China Group.  “GM remained the market leader among global automakers.  We benefited from the ongoing popularity of our existing lineup and the introduction of new and upgraded models such as the new Buick Excelle.”