General Motor’s China sales drop 5% in second quarter

General Motors vehicle sales in China declined 5.3% between April and June from the corresponding period of 2019, performing below the industry average following a recovery from the coronavirus crisis in the country.

China’s total figure, which includes passenger and commercial vehicles, increased 4.4% in April and 14.5% in May, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) said, adding that it expected auto sales to increase 11% in June.

Nissan Motor reported a 4.5% increase in China 4.5% in June from a year earlier to 136,929 vehicles.

General Motors, the second-biggest foreign automaker in China after Volkswagen, made deliveries of 713,600 vehicles in the country in the second quarter, the automaker said, after reporting a decline of 43% in sales in the first quarter, due to the coronavirus crisis.

GM has a Shanghai-based joint venture in China with SAIC Motor. It makes Buick, Chevrolet, and Cadillac vehicles. Its another venture SGMW with SAIC and Guangxi Automobile Group produces no-frills minivans and has started making more costly cars.

Sales of GM’s mass-market brand Buick increased by 7.8% while Chevrolet declined 27.7% for the latest quarter. Sales of premium brand Cadillac dropped 12%, GM said on Friday.

Sales of the no-frills brand Wuling increased by 9.7%, but those of Baojun declined 30.7%.

China has reported an increase in sales since the country has eased lockdown restrictions and has been one of the regions where automakers have seen an increase in automobile sales in recent months.