GM's 2007 Asia vehicle sales up 15%

[Oracle of Delphi]

Reuters

January 11, 09:05 CET

SHANGHAI (Reuters) -- General Motors Corp said today its vehicle sales in Asia Pacific grew 15.1 percent in 2007, helped largely by strong demand in mainland China.

The top US automaker sold a record 1.44 million vehicles in Asia, boosting its market share in the region to an estimated 6.9 percent, up from 6.5 percent in 2006, it said in a statement.

Sales in China rose 18.5 percent to a record 1.03 million vehicles during the period.

In Korea, domestic sales of GM and GM Daewoo products hit an all-time high of 131,040 units, while exports of vehicles by GM Daewoo rose to more than 820,000 units, it said, without providing comparative figures.

Sales in India came to 60,032 units in 2007, up 73.7 percent. Sales in Australia amounted to 148,813 units, it added. No comparative figures were given.

General Motors, which competes with the likes of Volkswagen AG in the region, did not give a sales forecast for 2008, but Nick Reilly, GM Asia Pacific president, said his company would continue to launch new models and expand capacity.

[ZL-1]

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[thegriffon]

Reuters

January 11, 09:05 CET

SHANGHAI (Reuters) -- General Motors Corp said today its vehicle sales in Asia Pacific grew 15.1 percent in 2007, helped largely by strong demand in mainland China.

The top US automaker sold a record 1.44 million vehicles in Asia, boosting its market share in the region to an estimated 6.9 percent, up from 6.5 percent in 2006, it said in a statement.

Sales in China rose 18.5 percent to a record 1.03 million vehicles during the period.

In Korea, domestic sales of GM and GM Daewoo products hit an all-time high of 131,040 units, while exports of vehicles by GM Daewoo rose to more than 820,000 units, it said, without providing comparative figures.

Sales in India came to 60,032 units in 2007, up 73.7 percent. Sales in Australia amounted to 148,813 units, it added. No comparative figures were given.

General Motors, which competes with the likes of Volkswagen AG in the region, did not give a sales forecast for 2008, but Nick Reilly, GM Asia Pacific president, said his company would continue to launch new models and expand capacity.

GM Daewoo and GM Holden will have separate releases providing comparative figures. This author should do more research.

[thegriffon]

Record V8 Sales Ensures 12 in a Row for Commodore

GM Holden has finished 2007 with Australia’s best selling car for the 12th consecutive year, helped by record sales of V8 models.

More than 57,300 Commodores were sold in 2007, which was nearly 10,000 ahead of its closest rival.

Strong sales of high end VE Commodore models such as SS, SSV and Calais V saw V8 Commodore numbers surpass the record of 10,982 set in 2003 by almost 500.

Sales of V6 and V8 Commodores to private buyers were also up an impressive 35% on 2006, reflecting a growing popularity of the new VE range among Aussie families.

GM Holden’s flagship WM Caprice became the best selling car in the Upper Large car segment (< $100K) in 2007 on the back of a 140% increase in sales and a 32% share. When combined with the other leading car in the segment - the WM Statesman - Holden claimed a 58% segment share.

The Captiva, launched in late 2006, proved another strong seller for GM Holden in its first full year of sales, ending the year as the third best selling model in the highly competitive Medium SUV segment. The introduction of a diesel variant in March proved popular with customers, with diesel accounting for more than half of Captiva sales in the last three months of the year.

The improved diesel engine in the Rodeo in March also proved attractive, with sales of Rodeo 4x4 diesels up 25% in 2007.

Overall, the year saw GM Holden sell 146,680 vehicles, delivering a 14% market share. Holden had the second highest sales overall, behind Toyota (236,647 sales and 22.5% market share), but well ahead of Ford (108,071 sales and 10.4% market share).

In the fiercely competitive passenger segment, Holden sold 104,848 vehicles in 2007 for a 17% market share.

The new VE Ute is off to a strong start, with sales in December the best month for Holden Utes since June 2003. 2008 sees the launch of the next VE derivative, with the VE Commodore Sportwagon due out in the first half of the year.

Holden Executive Director – Sales, Marketing and Aftersales, Alan Batey, today said Holden’s results showed the strategy of offering customers a wider range of performance and diesel options was being well received in the market.

“What better way to enter the 60th anniversary year of Holden’s first all-Australian car, and the 30th Anniversary of Commodore, than as Australia’s favourite car for an amazing 12th successive year.

“To achieve this against a backdrop of cheaper imports and even wider consumer choice makes it even more special.

“With the VE range in particular we have a strong model mix and record V8 sales which shows that for many Australians, performance and handling are still at the heart of what many look for in their vehicles.

“And with the addition of VE Commodore Sportwagon in 2008, we’ll have even more for them to get excited about in the coming year.”

[thegriffon]

GM Daewoo Sales Increase 25.2% in 2007

Domestic Sales Grow 1.7%/Export Sales Jump 29.9%

Seoul – GM Daewoo Auto & Technology (GM Daewoo) announced today that it sold in Korea and exported 960,186 complete vehicles in 2007. This was an increase of 25.2 percent from 2006, when the Incheon-based automaker sold 767,161 vehicles.

GM Daewoo’s domestic sales in 2007 grew 1.7 percent to 130,542 units from 128,332 units in 2006. The increase was due primarily to steady sales of the Matiz mini-car, Tosca premium midsize sedan and Winstorm SUV equipped with an eco-friendly diesel engine. GM Daewoo also received a boost from its network of customer test-drive centers that are open 365 days per year, as well as its aggressive and innovative marketing campaigns such as the Residual Value Guarantee Program and Hi Five Festival.

Exports of complete vehicles grew 29.9 percent to 829,644 units last year from 638,829 units in 2006. GM Daewoo continued to fully leverage the GM Group’s sales and distribution networks. Products manufactured in Korea are sold under a range of brands, including GM Daewoo, Chevrolet, Buick, Pontiac, Holden and Suzuki in more than 150 markets.

Exports of complete knockdown (CKD) kits increased 22.1 percent to 926,446 units in 2007 from 758,658 units in the previous year. GM Daewoo’s CKD export business is supplying GM manufacturing facilities in China, Thailand, India, Colombia, Venezuela and other emerging markets.

In total, GM Daewoo exported 1,756,090 complete vehicles and CKD kits in 2007. This was a 25.7 percent increase from the previous year’s 1,397,487 units. When sales in Korea are added, GM Daewoo sold domestically and exported 1,886,632 complete vehicles and CKD kits, which represented growth of 23.6 percent from 1,525,819 units in 2006.

On a monthly basis, GM Daewoo sold 88,952 complete vehicles worldwide in December, which was up 31.4 percent from 67,685 vehicles sold in the final month of 2006. GM Daewoo’s domestic sales in December reached 13,174 units, a decrease of 13 percent from 15,149 units sold in the same month in 2006, while exports of complete vehicles grew 44.2 percent to 75,778 units from 52,536 units in the same month in 2006. Exports of CKD kits in December rose 7.6 percent year-on-year to 78,443 units from 72,934 units in 2006.

[thegriffon]

Sets New Record for Global Automakers

General Motors Sells 1,031,974 Vehicles in China in 2007

Shanghai, China – General Motors Corp. announced today that GM and its joint ventures sold 1,031,974 vehicles in mainland China in 2007, setting a new record for global automakers. Sales in 2007 rose 18.5 percent from 2006. GM was the market leader among global automakers in mainland China for the third consecutive year.

SAIC-GM-Wuling, GM’s mini-vehicle joint venture with SAIC and Wuling Motors, achieved domestic sales growth of 20.1 percent to 548,945 units. It enjoyed record demand for its family of Wuling brand minivans and was China’s leader in mini-vehicle sales for the second straight year.

GM’s flagship joint venture with SAIC, Shanghai GM, experienced domestic sales growth of 16.9 percent to 479,427 units. Shanghai GM was once again China’s leader in passenger car sales among joint ventures, a distinction it has held since 2005. Inclusive of exports, Shanghai GM delivered more than 500,000 vehicles in 2007.

Buick remained Shanghai GM’s most popular brand, with domestic sales of 332,115 units. Sales of Chevrolet products in China by Shanghai GM and SAIC-GM-Wuling jumped 20.7 percent to 172,182 units. The Cadillac luxury brand experienced domestic sales growth of 148.1 percent to 7,022 units.

“Despite growing competition across the board, demand remained robust for our established products such as the Buick Excelle and LaCrosse and the Chevrolet Lova [Aveo sedan],” said GM China Group President and Managing Director Kevin Wale. “Several of our new products such as the Cadillac SLS, Buick Park Avenue and all-new Chevrolet Epica also got off to a good start.”

GMAC-SAIC Automotive Finance Co., GM’s automotive financing joint venture, likewise continued to grow. At the end of 2007, it was providing wholesale service to more than 460 dealers and retail service to more than 590 dealers in 146 cities across China. Its number of retail contracts approximately doubled in 2007 on a year-on-year basis.

In 2007, GM and SAIC signed an agreement for an eighth joint venture in China, Shanghai OnStar Telematics Co. Ltd., which will provide a range of in-vehicle safety, security and communication services to Shanghai GM customers in China. In addition, Shanghai GM signed an agreement to establish China’s largest and most comprehensive vehicle proving ground in Anhui province.

GM also announced an ambitious collaborative strategy to support the Chinese government’s pursuit of energy-efficient and environmentally friendly transportation. The automaker is establishing the GM Center for Advanced Science and Research at its new corporate campus in Shanghai to carry out advanced research projects in cooperation with the government, industry partners and academic institutions. In Beijing, it is setting up the China Automotive Energy Research Center (CAERC) with Tsinghua University and SAIC to develop a comprehensive and integrated automotive energy strategy for China.

“In order to keep up with market demand, we plan to add to what is already the largest product lineup with the roll out of several additional models in 2008,” Wale added. “At the same time, we will continue to strengthen our investment in new facilities and technology.

“Our goal is to fully leverage our global resources in China, with China and for China in order to contribute to the sustainable development of the local automotive industry,” said Wale. “By working together, we are confident that we can find solutions that will improve energy security, lead to a cleaner environment and support China’s long-term growth needs.”

Edited January 11, 2008 by thegriffon

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

I always thought Holden owned Austrailia and had always heard tyhe sotries about Toyota "struggling to build anything the Aussies wouls want to buy."

Oh well.... It's nice to know that I can move to Austrailia and still buy a decent car if Washingtons car nazis get too bad.

Better weather anyway.