The automaker's joint venture with Shanghai Auto also posted record sales in China. In total, GM and its local partner delivered 152,365 units to Chinese customers, up 113 percent from a year ago. For the full year, GM has sold a record 1,111,401 units, up 50 percent from the previous year.
In comparison, GM had a dismal month in the U.S., where August sales of 246,479 units were down 20 percent. Eight-month sales of 1,390,278 vehicles were down 35 percent for the year.
Buick has fared even worse in the American market, where it sold a mere 8,612 vehicles, down 52 percent from a year ago. The eight-month U.S. sales total for Buick of 62,934 units is off 36 percent.
Meanwhile, the brand is flourishing in China, driven by robust sales of such premium sedans as the LaCrosse and the Regal. GM sold more than 7,000 Regals in China in August and nearly 8,000 LaCrosses. Total Buick sales in China were 38,905, up more than 100 percent from the previous year.
GM said it expects full-year sales in China to climb by more than 40 percent from 2008.
Another driver of the U.S. automaker's success in this market is the SAIC-GM-Wuling partnership, which delivered 88,711 mini-vehicles in August, up 123 percent from last year, including 49,298 units of the segment-leading Wuling Sunshine.
Inside Line says: Speculation continues to build that Buick ultimately may evolve as a China-only brand within GM's global portfolio. — Vivian Jin, Correspondent
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