Winding Road and Autoblog are among of several news sources reporting big Christmas news for General Motors in China: GM has become the first international auto maker to sell one millions vehicles in China in a single year.

It seemed fitting that the one millionth vehicle was a Buick. The Buick may be out of fashion in America but it is GM's most powerful brand in China. A GM press release said:

"GM China President, Kevin Wale, handed off the keys to car number one million, a Buick Park Avenue to Mr. Zhang Jianping. Said Zhang of the groundbreaking purchase, "This is my second Buick and I appreciate the performance, safety and durability of Buick." Fair praise for a car that GM has cut off from sale in the U.S.

That was on Saturday, just a few days before Christmas.

GM's growth from sales of 100,000 vehicles in 2002 to 500,000 in 205 and now on to a million in a single year is due in large part to its growing lineup of brands and vehicle models in China. This year, GM and its joint venture partners have begun offering several new products, including the Cadillac SLS luxury business sedan, Buick Park Avenue premium sedan, Chevrolet Captiva SUV, all-new Chevrolet epica intermediate sedan and Wuling Hong Tu minivan, GM said.

Shanghai GM, the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC), and the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center (PATAC) which is the engineering half of GM in China are in their 10th year of work in China.