GM, Ford Sales Rise Sharply in China

General Motors Corp. said Monday its sales in China jumped 32 percent while Ford Motor Co. said sales there jumped 87 percent.

GM, the biggest U.S. automaker, said it sold nearly 877,000 vehicles in China in 2006.

Vehicle sales continued to outpace most projections as a result of unprecedented consumer demand for passenger cars, GM China President Kevin Wale said in a statement.

China is GM’s biggest national market outside the United States, the automaker says.

Ford sold nearly 167,000 units in all its brands, including Ford, Lincoln, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo. Of the total, the Ford brand alone sold 155,000 vehicles, up 89.3 percent from 2005, the company said.

The Chinese auto market is expected to rise by 15 percent to eight million this year, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers says.