General Motors say China car sales up 32 per cent in 2006

BEIJING (AP) - General Motors Corp. said Monday its sales in China's booming car market grew by 32 per cent last year. The company said it sold 876,747 vehicles last year, up about 208,000 units from 2005. It said sales of its flagship Buick brand grew by 24.9 per cent to 304,230 units.

"Vehicle sales continued to outpace most projections as a result of unprecedented consumer demand for passenger cars," Kevin Wale, president of GM China, said in a statement.

Auto sales in China are expanding at double-digit annual rates, and vehicle sales this year are expected to rise by 15 per cent to eight million after hitting seven million in 2006, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, an industry group.

GM's rival, Ford Motor Co., said Friday its China sales last year more than doubled to 129,790 units.

© The Canadian Press, 2007