BEIJING — General Motors Co. said Thursday its sales in China jumped 41% in April from a year earlier to 213,115 vehicles.
China, the world's biggest auto market, is the U.S. car maker's largest market in terms of sales so far this year, though GM's sales growth rate in April was down from March's 68% jump.
Kevin Wale, GM China Group president and managing director, has forecast that GM's sales in China will exceed two million this year, four years ahead of the company's target, and up from 1.83 million vehicles last year.
The company said in a statement that among its joint ventures in China, sales at Shanghai General Motors Corp. rose 62% in April to 89,562 vehicles.
Sales at its joint venture SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile Co., which makes mini commercial vehicles, rose almost 19% to 113,633 units. It said FAW-GM Light Duty Commercial Vehicle Co., which was set up in August last year, had sales of 9,795 vehicles in April.
China overtook the U.S. as the world's largest car market last year, after government incentives helped boost sales nearly 50% to 13.6 million vehicles.
China's semiofficial auto sales data for April are due next week.
