General Motors sales in China up 40% in April

General Motors’ (GM.NYSE) China sales rose 41% 10 213,115 vehicles last month compared to a year earlier, the Wall Street Journal reported. While GM’s sales growth rate was down from its 68% jump in March, China is the American firm’s biggest market so far this year. Among its joint ventures in China, sales at Shanghai General Motors rose 62% in April to 89,562 vehicles, while sales at SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile – which makes mini commercial vehicles – were up nearly 19% to 113,633 units. GM China Group president and managing director, Kevin Wale, said that GM’s sales in China are expected to surpass two million units this year – up from 1.83 million vehicles in 2009. China took the lead over the US as the world’s biggest auto market last year. Sales in 2009 were driven by government incentives, which helped boost the country’s auto sales nearly 50% to 13.6 million vehicles.