GM, Ford sales in China climb 50% in 1st half

7/8/2010

DETROIT — General Motors Co. sold 1.21 million vehicles in China from January to June — a nearly 50 percent gain from a year earlier. For the first time, its Chinese sales exceeded U.S. sales in the first half of the year.

Ford Motor Co. sold a record 301,524 vehicles in China during the first six months, up 53 percent from the same period in 2009, the company said.

Sales for all automakers in China started to slow in May, but they still grew 26 percent over the 2009 period.

Automakers sold 1.04 million passenger cars in May.