General Motors on Friday waved off concerns of a China slowdown and looming car glut, saying the market would still grow faster than in much of the developed world.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Reuters noted that multinationals including GM, Ford and Volkswagen are set to spend around $US10 billion on factories to crank out some five million cars annually over the next few years – raising fears about overcapacity and a price war.
Analysts also want to see how government curbs on over-investment will affect the industry as Beijing is trying to put the brakes on an economy which shot up 9.8% in the year through the first quarter by limiting credit growth and investment in selected sectors, the news agency said.
“People are getting carried away,” GM’s China chief, Phil Murtaugh, told Reuters, adding: “(They say) the government’s trying to slow down steel, concrete and real estate, and they are overheating and that’s slowing down car sales from 80% to 10%.”
But that was still faster than in mature markets like the United States or Britain, he reportedly added.
How well do you really know your competitors?
Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.
Thank you!
Your download email will arrive shortly
Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample
We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form
By GlobalDataReuters noted that GM has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in China since the late 1990s, and last year said it would raise capacity by 50% to 766,000 units, adding production lines in Shanghai and another at a venture in the southwest.
The report said GM sold about 70% more cars in China in the first quarter than a year ago, topping 122,000 units – its sales in the United States over the same period grew just 5%.
China is also an increasingly important source of profits for GM. Profits from its Chinese joint ventures nearly quadrupled to $162 million in the first quarter, Reuters said – if its sales growth and margins continue at those rates, China would produce about a quarter of the group’s $4 billion in profits forecast by analysts for this year.
Reuters added that GM expects China to become its second-largest market this year, after the United States, up from number four last year.
“We’re selling everything we can produce,” Murtaugh reportedly told a gathering of business executives in Shanghai. “The top 15 manufacturers in China are all running at capacity utilisation rates in excess of 85%.”
