BRIEF - China's July auto sales up

• China's July auto sales up

BEIJING (AP):

China's auto sales rose 6.7 per cent in July but growth was well below the double-digit surge of the past two years, an industry group said last Wednesday.

Some 1.01 million passenger cars were bought in July in the world's biggest auto market by vehicle sales, according to the government-authorised China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. Total sales of commercial and passenger vehicles rose 2.2 per cent from a year ago to 1.3 million units.

Chinese auto sales soared in 2009 and 2010, driven by subsidies and tax cuts meant to help the industry rebound from the global crisis. Sales rose 32 per cent last year to 18 million vehicles.

But that growth has faded due to the end of incentives, higher fuel prices and efforts by some cities to curb pollution and traffic congestion by restricting ownership.

In May, passenger vehicle sales fell for the first time in two years, declining nearly nine per cent from the same month last year.

The slowdown could be a setback for global automakers looking to China to drive sales amid weak demand in the United States and Europe.

• BMW to unveil concept cars

Munich, Germany:

At this year's International Automobile Exhibition (IAA), BMW will, once again, be presenting its world premiere vehicles actively on a circuit in Hall 11 on the Frankfurt exhibition site. The successful concept of presenting the cars as they drive has been developed and refined, providing the press and the public with the experience of efficiency and dynamics through the products themselves. The combination of trade fair and event in the form of stage shows, will allow visitors to become immersed in the world of the brand.

BMW's highlight this year at the IAA, forming the heart of the exhibition stand, will be the vehicle concepts of the new BMW sub-brand BMW i.

• Visions of the future

BMW i3 Concept and BMW i8 Concept, the BMW Group is presenting its visions for future mobility. The concept vehicles offer a foretaste of the first series-produced electric automobiles in the new BMW i sub-brand. Around 300 international journalists were already able to gain a clear impression of the BMW i vehicles and the world which they inhabit on part of the IAA exhibition stand at the end of July.

The new BMW 1 Series is also making its debut on the exhibition stand. With a wide range of personalisation options as a result of lines being offered for the first time, its appearance sets particularly high standards for individual, differentiated presentation.

• Toyota named 'greenest brand'

Toyota is the world's greenest brand, according to a new global survey from the international brand consultancy Interbrand.

The first Best Global Green Brands, published this week, takes into account environmental performance coupled with public perception of a brand's environmental sustainability - its 'green profile' - to produce a Green Performance Score.

Based on data collected from the world's leading markets, including the UK, France, Germany, Italy, USA, Japan, Brazil and India, the report gives Toyota a top score of 64.19 points, ahead of 3M in second place.

The Interbrand report says that Toyota is "a leading example of making the environment a core management priority, while also engaging in a meaningful way with audiences around the world".

Toyota's market-leading development of full hybrid technology is a key contributor to Toyota's strong green performance, according to the report, notably with Prius - now in its third generation.

• GM uncertain of US auto sales

DETROIT (AP):

The top executive at General Motors Co is having doubts about whether US auto sales will recover this year as expected, even as the stock market rebounded a bit Tuesday from its huge losses.

Speaking to industry analysts about GM's long-term financial plans Tuesday, GM Chairman and CEO Dan Akerson said the company is sticking with its US sales forecast of around 13 million cars and trucks for the year, but he's not certain sales will make it that high.

"There's a lot of turmoil in the business, and turmoil means uncertainty," Akerson said. GM's finances, he said, are strong enough to "power through these dips" in sales.

The statements came amid optimistic predictions for the future of the company, which has made billions just two years out of bankruptcy protection. Analysts were told that GM is looking to become more efficient in the future so it can make even stronger profits, and that it plans to raise factory capacity by 45 per cent in Brazil, Russia, India and China by 2014 to take advantage of expected sales growth.