Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd.'s deliveries rose 12 percent from a year earlier to 44,590 vehicles last month, reflecting strong demand for two low-priced compact sedans.

 

Geely slashed the starting price of its top-selling New Emgrand compact car by 10 percent to 62,800 yuan ($9,700) this year. The price cut appeared to work as New Emgrand deliveries rose 18 percent year on year to 16,498 vehicles in April.

 

The Vison, a compact sedan with a modest price of 53,900 yuan, also has found a profitable niche. Last month, sales rose 15 percent to 12,032 vehicles.

 

Meanwhile, sales of the Kingkong compact car increased 6 percent in April to 5,219 vehicles. Geely delivered 4,472 GC9s, its first midsize sedan, which was introduced one year ago.

 

Geely is upgrading its aging crossover lineup, which has struggled in China's fiercely competitive market. In March, the company launched the NL3 crossover, which generated sales of 4,002 vehicles in April.

 

And at the Beijing auto last month, Geely unveiled a second new crossover, the Emgrand GS. The company is expected to roll out a third crossover model later this year.

 

Geely is headquartered in the east China city of Hangzhou and listed in Hong Kong. Its parent, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co., also owns Volvo Car Corp.