GM Reports Record Sales in China

General Motors Co. and its joint ventures report a record 328,400 retail vehicle sales in China last month, up 12% from August 2016. Volume through the first eight months of 2017 totaled a record 2.38 million units.

GM says SUV/crossovers remain the company’s fastest-growing segment, with sales up 21% compared with August 2016. Buick, Baojun and Cadillac brands all posted record-best results for the month.

But Bloomberg News notes that GM’s sales of hybrid and electric vehicles in China has so far been next to zero: The company sold fewer than 20 such cars in the country last year. Unlike rivals Ford and Volkswagen, GM has not partnered with a Chinese domestic EV maker to quickly boost its ability to market electrified vehicles in the country.

Instead, GM plans to offer its own hybrids and EVs. CEO Mary Barra tells reporters in China the company expect to offer electrified powertrain options in nearly all models it sells there by 2025. She says the company will add 10 such models generating 150,000 sales in China by 2020.