GM sees 50% increase in sales in April

General Motors (GM) said its sales in China hit a monthly record in April, rising 50% from a year earlier on strength in its Buick and Wuling brands, the Wall Street Journal reported. The company had record China sales of 151,084 units last month. The popularity of GM’s smaller vehicles in China underscores the impact of government measures to boost demand for autos, said CSM Worldwide analyst Yale Zhang. China in January halved the purchase tax to 5% for vehicles with engines of 1.6 liters or less. Sales of the Buick Excelle sedan, which is available with a 1.6-liter engine, more than doubled to 22,078 units in April, GM said. It also sold more than 50,000 units of the Wuling Sunshine minivan. Sales were also lifted by the launch of the Buick Regal midsize sedan in March and the Chevrolet Cruze compact sedan in April. However, analysts warned that the boost from government incentives would likely wear off in late June.