General Motors Corp. expects its sales growth in China to slow to more than 15 percent in 2007, about half this year's rate, but outpacing overall Chinese auto market growth, executives said.

Kevin Wale, president and managing director of GM China, said he expected the overall Chinese auto market to grow by 10 to 15 percent next year.

However, Wale said he was not worried about slowing growth in the world's second-largest car market since analysts underestimated growth in the China market every year. "We are not concerned with overcapacity. There is a lot of market growth here," Wale said.

China is one of the few bright spots for the world's largest auto maker. GM, which makes Buick, Chevrolet and Cadillac brands in China, sold 665,390 vehicles there in 2005, and expects that to grow about 30 percent to 860,000 this year, Joseph Liu, GM China's vice president said.

This year's growth would fall just short of the 35 percent registered in 2005. Wale said it was an advantage in the Chinese market to have many brands that span all market segments from economy to luxury, but conceded it was more expensive.

Liu said 410,000 of the sales this year were expected to come from Shanghai GM -- a tie-up with SAIC Motor, China's biggest car maker -- with the remaining 450,000 vehicles to be sold by GM-SAIC-Wuling, a commercial vehicle venture.

Source:佚名