Auto Sales Rise 3% in China in First Half

Wholesale deliveries of passenger and commercial vehicles in China edged up to 9.6 million units in the first six months of this year compared to 9.3 million units in the same period of 2011, according to the China Assn. of Automobile Manufacturers.

Passenger vehicle sales climbed 7% to 7.6 million units in the January-June period of 2012. Demand grew 11% to 1.4 million vehicles at General Motors and 1% to 277,300 units at Ford.

Volkswagen's Audi and namesake brands surged 38% to 193,900 units and jumped 15% to 982,600 units, respectively, in the six-month period. Among Japanese automakers, volume grew 25% to 442,500 at Toyota, 14% to 678,000 at Nissan and 21% to 327,000 at Honda.

In June, vehicle sales jumped 10% year over year to 1.6 million units, including a 16% advance in passenger vehicles to 1.3 million units. Car demand in June 2011 had been dampened by high fuel prices and limits on car registrations in some big cities that seek to ease traffic and pollution.

CAAM still predicts full-year volume will rise 5%-8% from 18.5 million in 2011 but plans to update its forecast later this month. The group warns that demand could be dampened in the second half if more cities follow the lead of Guangzhou, which on June 30 imposed immediate restrictions on car registrations.