GM, Toyota report strong China sales

US carmaker General Motors (GM.NYSE) reported a 15.3% year-on-year increase in vehicles sold in China to 240,244 in September, AFP reported. GM and its joint ventures have sold a record 1.89 million cars in the first nine months of 2012, a 6.6% year-on-year increase. “GM has maintained our momentum in China, with all of our major brands setting new September sales marks,” said GM China Group president Kevin Wale. Toyota (TM.NYSE) also reported a 10.5% year-on-year increase for September, selling 86,400 vehicles. Sales continue to grow despite the phasing-out of government incentive programs like tax breaks, originally implemented to soften the global financial crisis. Total sales of vehicles in China for 2012 though August rose 3.3% to 11.98 million.