Volkswagen China Sales Rise 23%

Volkswagen AG, the second-largest overseas vehicle-maker in China, boosted first-half sales in the country by 23 percent, almost twice the pace of market leader General Motors Corp. The German automaker sold a total of 531,612 locally made and imported vehicles in China, Hong Kong and Macau in the period, including 439,218 Volkswagen-brand automobiles, it said in an e- mailed statement today. China's overall passenger-car sales rose 17 percent in the period.

GM boosted first-half sales to 590,126 vehicles, it said yesterday. The Detroit-based automaker plans to begin selling the Chevrolet Aveo 1.2 and the Buick LaCrosse Eco-Hybrid in the second half.

Ford Motor Co., the world's third-largest automaker, raised its first-half sales in China 21 percent to 172,133 vehicles. The company plans to add a new Fiesta compact this the year because of demand for fuel-efficient cars, it said today.