General Motors Sells Record 876,747 Vehicles in China in 2006

General Motors Sells Record 876,747 Vehicles in China in 2006

January 08, 2007

-- Major Brands, Joint Ventures Reach New Highs
-- Market Share Climbs to Estimated 11.8%


    SHANGHAI, China, Jan. 8 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- General
Motors Corp. announced today that it set new marks for
sales and market share in mainland China in 2006.

    Buoyed by record demand for all six brands offered by
GM and its joint ventures, the automaker and its domestic
operations sold 876,747 vehicles in mainland China, which
was about 208,000 units more than in 2005.  This
represented growth of 31.8 percent from 2005 and was ahead
of estimated industry growth of around 24 percent.  It took
GM's market share in mainland China to an estimated 11.8
percent.

    SAIC-GM-Wuling led the way, with sales of its family of
mini-vehicles rising 36.5 percent on an annual basis to
460,155 vehicles.  Sales of products from Shanghai GM rose
26.8 percent on a year-on-year basis to 412,791 units.

    "Vehicle sales continued to outpace most
projections as a result of unprecedented consumer demand
for passenger cars," said GM China Group President and
Managing Director Kevin Wale.  "While demand was
particularly strong in the small car segment, nearly all
passenger car segments experienced growth.

    "GM took advantage by introducing a series of new
products under all six of our brands sold locally, in the
process expanding what was already the broadest vehicle
lineup in the marketplace," Wale added.

    Since 2002, when SAIC-GM-Wuling was formed, sales of GM
and its joint ventures have grown an average of 34.9 percent
annually and GM's market share has risen by 4.3 percentage
points.  GM's local product lineup has grown as well, to
about 30 different models.

    In 2006, sales of GM's flagship brand in China, Buick,
increased 24.9 percent on an annual basis to 304,230 units.
 Buick benefited from new vehicles such as the LaCrosse
premium sedan which registered sales of 52,021 units in its
first year on the market.  In addition, established products
such as the Excelle, Buick's best-selling model, and the
GL8, China's first family of executive wagons, enjoyed
continued strong sales.

    GM's most popular global brand and its most affordable
passenger car brand in China also performed well. 
Chevrolet sales topped 100,000 units for a second
consecutive year, rising 36.8 percent on an annual basis to
145,392 vehicles.  The brand's best-selling model in China
in 2006 was the Spark mini-car built and marketed by
SAIC-GM-Wuling, which sold 40,015 units.  It was followed
by the Lova small car from Shanghai GM, which sold 36,893
units in just its first year on the market.

    Cadillac, GM's luxury nameplate, experienced growing
demand for its four products, the CTS premium sedan, SRX
medium luxury utility vehicle, XLR luxury roadster and new
Escalade luxury SUV.  Cadillac began taking orders for the
new SLS luxury sedan, which was designed especially for
China and will go into production at Shanghai GM in the
first quarter of 2007.

    The Wuling brand of mini-commercial vehicles and
minivans enjoyed sales growth of 35.4 percent in 2006 to
420,140 vehicles.  The brand benefited from the ongoing
popularity of the Sunshine minivan, which accounted for
69.6 percent of total sales, and the unveiling of two new
products:  the PSN crew cab pickup and Hong Tu minivan.

    "In response to what we expect to be continued
double-digit market growth, GM and our joint ventures will
invest an average of US$1 billion per year in our domestic
operations through 2010," according to Wale.  

    "In 2007, we plan to roll out about 10 new and
upgraded products," he added.  "Like the Buick
LaCrosse, Cadillac SLS and Chevrolet Lova, many of our new
offerings are being engineered for the local market by the
Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center (PATAC).  Our aim is
to stay ahead in this critical market for General Motors by
offering local consumers the products and services that they
want when they want them."

    General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world's largest
automaker, has been the global industry sales leader for 75
years.  Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 318,000
people around the world.  With global headquarters in
Detroit, GM manufactures its cars and trucks in 33
countries.  In 2005, 9.17 million GM cars and trucks were
sold globally under the following brands:  Buick, Cadillac,
Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, HUMMER, Opel, Pontiac,
Saab, Saturn and Vauxhall.  GM operates one of the world's
leading finance companies, GMAC Financial Services, which
offers automotive, residential and commercial financing and
insurance.  More information on GM can be found at
http://www.gm.com .


    For more information, please contact:

     Sophia Luan
     General Motors China
     Tel: [phone]


SOURCE  GM