September sales by GM and its joint ventures in China declined 3.9% year over year to 295,236 vehicles. But sales were up 18.7% last month versus August, the second month on month increase in a row.
Sales of 2,492,428 vehicles in China during the first nine months of 2015 were up 1.6% on an annual basis, as increasing demand for SUVs, MPVs and luxury vehicles helped offset the market slowdown.
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"GM's product mix has been improving with recently launched models. This has helped us meet consumers' evolving and diversifying needs," said GM China president Matt Tsien. "We anticipate growth in the SUV, MPV and luxury segments representing about 80% of overall growth in the market over the next several years. GM is well-positioned to participate in this growth."
The fast-growing SUV segment accounted for 17.3% of GM's sales in China in September, compared with 6.1% a year earlier. The segment represented 15.7% of sales in August and 13.2% of sales in July.
In September, GM's SUV sales surged 170.8% led by growth in demand for the Buick Envision and Baojun 560. Cadillac sales increased 14.7% last month with September the fifth month of double-digit sales growth this year.
Cadillac also set a record in the first nine months of 2015, with sales rising 12.4% year on year to 56,873 units. Sales of the ATS-L and ATS more than tripled during the period.
In the first nine months, Buick sales advanced 4% year on year to a record 669,568 units, led by the Excelle GT and Envision. In September, sales of the new Excelle GT exceeded 28,000 units, up 50.4%.
From January through September, Baojun sales rose 235.5% to a record 270,488 units. The Baojun 560 became the third-best-selling SUV in China within two months of its launch on 18 July, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM).
Chevrolet sales declined 9% to 442,277 units in the first nine months though Trax volume increased 105.9% year to date.
Wuling sales declined 8.7% to 1,050,327 units from January to September, due to continued contraction of the mini-commercial vehicle market. Sales of the brand's mini-commercial vehicle products fell 4.5% percent in September from a year earlier.
CHINA: Sales bounce back in September
