General Motors and SAIC’s China sales made recovery in April

General Motors’ sales in China saw double-digit year-on-year increase in April, its two local ventures stated on Sunday, as the world’s biggest auto market made recovery from the coronavirus.

GM’s joint venture with SAIC Motor, which manufactures Buick, Chevrolet and Cadillac vehicles, stated its sales in China increased 13.6% compared to a year earlier. It noted that it had sold 111,155 units in April, including exported cars.

Meanwhile, SGMW, a separate GM venture with SAIC and Guangxi Automobile which produces no-frills minivans and has started to build luxury cars, said its sales increased 13.5% to more than 127,000 units last month.

General Motors is China’s second biggest foreign automaker after Volkswagen. GM said its sales in China dropped 43.3% in the first three months of 2020 compared with the same period in 2019.

To attract consumers, GM and SAIC have hired social media celebrities to promote its new models and are providing free medical masks to consumers.

China’s biggest automaker SAIC, which sold over 6 million cars last year, said its sales increased 0.5% compared to the same period in 2019. Together with GM venture, it also builds its own brand cars and controls a venture with Volkswagen.