Dongfeng Motor Feb sales rise 20%

China's third largest car maker Dongfeng Motor Group Co<489> said its sales rose more than one-fifth in February from a year earlier, beating 19.21% industry average growth in the world's second-largest auto market.

Sales climbed 22.96% to 66,360 vehicles in February, among which sales of passenger cars grew 22.32% to 43,929 units, while commercial vehicles sold in the same month hit 22,431 units, up 38.15% over the previous year, the company said in a statement late on Tuesday.

Its venture with Nissan Motor sold 21,358 units in February, a year-on-year rise of 33.08%, while sales at Dongfeng's tie-up with Honda Motor surged 63.49% to 10,180 units, the statement showed.

By contrast, its venture with French car maker PSA Peugeot-Citroen saw sales down 8.32% to 12,391 cars, the second consecutive monthly fall. The weak sales came largely as a result of the extreme winter weather which hit many of China's eastern and southern regions, according to the company's China spokesman.