GM China sales up 12% in April

General Motors (GM.NYSE) said its sales in China rose 12% from a year earlier to 227,217 vehicles in April, due largely to strong demand from GM’s Wuling microvan joint venture, The Wall Street Journal reported. Sales at GM and its affiliates in China increased 9.4% year-on-year to 972,369 vehicles for the first four months of 2012. In April, SAIC-GM-Wuling, GM’s joint venture with SAIC (600104.SH) and Liuzhou Wuling Motors, sold 17,829 vehicles, up 22% from one year earlier. However, sales of its premium Cadillac brand in China dropped 20% to 2,048 vehicles. Competitors BMW AG (BMW.FSE) reported a 31% increase in China sales to 27,197 vehicles in April, while Volkswagen AG (VOW.FSE) said sales of its Audi brand surged 44% to 34,221 vehicles.