GM, Ford Sales Fall in China

General Motors and Ford posted modest sales gains in February that failed to offset big declines in January.

Analysts prefer to consider combined sales for the two months because of the variable timing of the Lunar New Year. The holiday adversely affects volumes in whichever month it occurs.

General Motors Co. reports its passenger car sales in China dropped 15% to 568,000 units through the first two months of 2017. GM’s year-on-year sales this year dropped 24% to 321,400 units in January and advanced less than 1% to 246,700 vehicles in February.

The company says SUV/crossovers and multipurpose vehicles accounted for almost half its total deliveries in February. Cadillac and Baojun brands set volume records for the month.

Separately, Ford Motor Co. sales, which fell 32% in January, grew 2% to 64,600 units after a 32% drop in January. The company’s two-month total came to 153,100 units, down 21% from the same period in 2016, when sales jumped 18%.