After Dismal First Quarter, GM’s China Joint Venture Posts Double-Digit Growth

What’s new: Automobile sales by SAIC General Motors Co. Ltd. rose by 13.6% year-on-year in April to 111,115 vehicles in China, the company announced on social media Sunday. The figure includes exported cars.

Higher-end cars accounted for more than half of the sales, it noted.

Its Chinese parent company — SAIC Motor Corp. Ltd. saw a 0.5% year-on-year uptick in April in sales, with 433,000 cars sold at home and aboard, according to the company’s website.

What’s the background: SAIC GM is a joint venture between American auto giant General Motors Co. and SAIC Motor that manufactures and sells GM’s Chevrolet, Buick and Cadillac brands in China.

Overall, GM's China sales, which include its SAIC joint venture plus another venture with SAIC and Guangxi Automobile Group, fell 43.3% in the first quarter of this year to a little over 461,000 vehicles as the Covid-19 pandemic sent a chill through the market.

Related: After Renault, Who’s Next to Pull Back From China Car Market?

Quick Takes are condensed versions of China-related stories for fast news you can use.

Contact reporter Lu Yutong (yutonglu@caixin.com)