GM'S 1ST SEMESTER SALES IN ASIA PACIFIC REACH 798,000 UNITS

Jakarta, July 7 (ANTARA) - General Motors (GM) said its sales in Asia and the Pacific in the first half of 2008 reached 798,000 units, accounting for 3.5 percent of its total sales world-wide.

"Sales in the Asia Pacific region in the first semester of 2008 reached 3.5 percent of our total sales world-wide while our average sales target in the region for this year is 7 percent," Harry Yanto, business planning, product and order manager of PT General Motors AutoWorld, said on Monday.

He said GM's sales in the region rose to 1.436 million units in 2007 from 877,000 units in 2006.

GM has set itself the target of selling 1.6 million units in the region this year.

Last year, China was listed as the biggest market for GM products in Asia and the Pacific, buying 1.032 million units or 12.2 percent of GM's total sales world-wide.

He said GM's sales in Indonesia in the first half of 2008 reached 40 percent of the target of 3,000 units for that year. The sales were expected to increase ahead of the post-fasting month Lebaran and year-end festivities.

"We intend to be one of the five top automotive producers in Indonesia by 2012," he said.

To increase its sales in Indonesia, GM would routinely introduce new products. GM planned to introduce two new product types in Indonesia in 2009 and at least five new product types in 2012, he said.

Meanwhile, Ari Suryanda, development manager of GM Indonesia, said GM now had a total of 33 sales outlests and 37 service outlets across the country.