通用汽车靠中国市场支撑利润

　　因在公司执行长里克-瓦格纳的领导下，GM在中国汽车销 量上升，同时汽车贷款收入增加，全球最大的汽车制造商通用汽车（General Motors Corp.）明天可能报告二季度利润增长48%。 　　根据汤姆逊金融（Thomson Financial）调查得到分析师的平均预测值显示， 得益于在中国市场上别克等品牌的汽车销售增长，GM二季度净利有望增加到13亿美元，合每股2.24美元。通用汽车还通过旗下的通用汽车金融服务公司（General Motors Acceptance Corp.）发放汽车贷款。

　　Burnham证券分析师大卫·希利估计，依靠中国汽车销量增长，今年通用汽车亚太地区利润占公司利润总额的比重将提高7个百分点，达到25%。今年六月，GM在中国轿车销量首次超过大众汽车（Volkswagen AG），市占率升至头名。通用汽车在中国的四家合资企业今年上半年汽车销量上升58%，达到259,653辆。GM总裁瓦格纳上月承诺将投资30亿美元扩大在华汽车产能。同时日本车商丰田等在美国继续扩大战果。

　　基金经理萨莎·坎柏（Sasha Kamper）表示：“中国市场和通用汽车金融服务公司给GM提供了足够的空间帮助其实现二季度利润目标。但最终它在北美市场必须盈利才能确保成功。”

　　数据显示GM二季度在美国的市场份额下降1.1个百分点。GM预计其今年在欧洲市场可能连续第5年亏损。

　　General Motors Corp., the world's largest automaker, may report a 48 percent rise in second-quarter profit tomorrow as Chief Executive Officer Rick Wagoner boosts sales in China and increases revenue from car loans.

　　Surging sales of brands such as Buick in China likely helped increase net income to $1.3 billion, or $2.24 a share, according to the average estimate of analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial. The Detroit-based company provides loans through its General Motors Acceptance Corp. unit. Competitor Ford Motor Co. reports second-quarter results today.

　　Sales in China will increase profit from the Asia-Pacific region by about 7 percentage points to 25 percent of General Motors' total earnings this year, according to David Healy, an analyst at Burnham Securities. Wagoner, 51, last month committed $3 billion to expansion in China as Asian companies such as Toyota Motor Corp. gain market share in North America.

　　"China and GMAC will provide enough buffer to meet second- quarter profit targets," said Sasha Kamper, who helps manage $65 billion at Principal Global Investors in Des Moines, Iowa, including General Motors bonds. ``Ultimately, for GM to be successful, it must earn money at its North American auto operations.''

　　North America will contribute about 20 percent of earnings per share this year, down from 36 percent in 2003, said Sierra Vista, California-based Healy, who doesn't own shares of General Motors.

　　General Motors' share of the U.S. market dropped by 1.1 percentage points during the quarter, according to Autodata Corp. The carmaker estimates it will have a loss in Europe for a fifth straight year in 2004.

　　Net income from the company's Chinese ventures rose $118 million in the first quarter, while earnings from North America declined by $97 million.

　　The company's shares traded in Germany fell as much as 31 cents, or 0.9 percent to 35.05 euros and were down 0.3 percent to 35.26 euros as of 12:31 p.m. in Frankfurt.