UPDATE: GM China Sales Up 8.3% In 2011 On Demand For Passenger Vehicles

Vehicle sales at General Motors Co. (GM) and its China joint ventures rose 8.3% to 2.55 million in 2011 fueled by strong orders for its higher-end Buick and Cadillac passenger car brands amid weaker demand in the broader market.

For the month of December, GM and its joint ventures sold 196,797 vehicles, up 9.8% from a year earlier, the company said in a statement Monday.

Sales growth was particularly strong at Shanghai GM, its passenger vehicle joint venture with Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp.

Shanghai GM's sales rose 16.2% to 1,200,355 units in 2011, bolstered by strong demand for the Buick and Cadillac brands. Buick sales rose 17.4% to 645,537 and Cadillac sales gained 72.8% to 30,008 units last year, the statement said.

Sales of Chevrolet cars increased 9.4% to 595,068 units.

Sales at FAW-GM--its commercial-vehicle joint venture with FAW Group--totaled 56,132 units in 2011, GM said, without providing a figure for 2010.

SAIC-GM-Wuling, a joint venture with SAIC and Liuzhou Wuling Motors that primarily produces small commercial vehicles, saw sales rise 3.9% to 1.19 million units, a record for the company.

Last week, Toyota Motor Co. (TM) said its 2011 sales in China, including joint ventures, rose 4% to 883,000 vehicles. The company said it plans to increase sales in China by at least 10% in 2012, with a goal of reaching sales of 1 million units.

Sales at GM and Toyota exceeded a forecast of 2%-3% growth for vehicle sales at the industry level given recently by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. The CAAM had said sales are expected to pick up momentum this year as Beijing eases its economic policies.

-By Andrew Galbraith, Dow Jones Newswires; 8621 6120-1200; andrew.galbraith@dowjones.com

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