GM sells record 345,448 vehicles, up 16% in China in March 2017

General Motors and its joint ventures in China have posted record sales of 345,448 vehicles, an increase of 16 percent from a year earlier. It was the company’s largest year-over-year growth since last August.

The Buick, Cadillac and Baojun brands all reached new sales highs for March. Their hot-selling models – the Baojun 510, Buick GL8 and Cadillac XT5 – stood out in the fast-growing SUV, MPV and luxury segments, which accounted for about half of GM’s March sales.

GM’s SUV sales rose 45 percent year over year, while MPV deliveries increased 23 percent. For the 13th consecutive month, Cadillac posted double-digit growth, with sales surging 63 percent. “SUVs, MPVs and luxury vehicles will help us further tap into the market’s growth potential,” said GM Executive Vice President and GM China President Matt Tsien. “We will continue to expand and upgrade our offerings across segments. Many of our new models will be on display at this month’s Auto Shanghai 2017.”

Buick
Buick sales rose 21 percent on an annual basis to a March record of 88,519 units.

Sales of the GL8 MPV family surged 92 percent year on year, fueled by the new-generation GL8 and GL8 Avenir launched in November.

The Envision strengthened its leadership among midsize global SUVs, with more than 16,000 units sold in March.  

Buick announced last month that the Velite 5, its first extended range electric vehicle (EREV), will come to China shortly. In the coming two years, Buick will also launch plug-in hybrids and pure battery electric vehicles to expand its green lineup.

The next generation of the Buick Regal sedan will make its Asian debut at Auto Shanghai 2017.

Chevrolet
Chevrolet sales increased 4.3 percent from the previous March to 34,750 units. Demand for the Malibu family, its top-of-the-range model, rose more than 54 percent from a year earlier. Cavalier sales surpassed 10,000 units for the fourth time since its launch in September. Chevrolet’s best-selling global SUV, the Equinox, has just gone on sale in China.

Chevrolet is also expanding its unmatched engine and transmission lineup in China, with the upcoming introduction of a 1.0T engine and a nine-speed automatic transmission.

Cadillac
Cadillac’s March deliveries soared 63 percent on an annual basis to 12,369 units. The XT5 SUV was the brand’s best-selling model, accounting for more than a third of Cadillac’s total sales. The ATS-L luxury sport sedan had its ninth consecutive month of double-digit growth, with demand increasing 58 percent. XTS luxury sedan sales increased 13 percent from the previous March.

Baojun
Sales by Baojun, the biggest riser among all GM brands in March, surged 81 percent on an annual basis to 81,353 units.

The Baojun 510 small SUV sold 16,443 units in its first full month on the market. Sales of the Baojun 310 exceeded 10,000 units for the sixth consecutive month, gaining popularity in the small sedan market. 

The Baojun 730 MPV sold more than 30,000 units, with growth of 38 percent from a year earlier, to strengthen its segment-leading position.

Wuling

Wuling delivered 128,501 units in March, cementing its dominant position in the commercial vehicle market despite the segment’s continued contraction.  

The Hong Guang S MPV increased its deliveries by 22 percent from a year earlier to nearly 46,000 units, making further inroads in the passenger car market.