GM sees slow sales growth in mainland

General Motors Corp (GM) said yesterday its 2008 sales in China, the company's largest market outside the US, grew 6 percent from 2007, the slowest rate in six years.

GM and its Chinese joint ventures sold a combined 1.094 million cars in China in 2008, passing the million mark for two consecutive years. But the slowdown in sales growth, compared with the 19 percent increase in 2007, reflected the impact of the economic downturn and the lack of competitive new models.

The company, however, remains upbeat about the Chinese market in 2009 and beyond.