Net quarterly income climbed to 3.7 billion yuan ($554 million) from 2.5 billion yuan a year earlier, the Shanghai-based automaker said in a statement to the city's stock exchange. Revenue more than doubled to 81.6 billion yuan.

Reported revenues rose in part because SAIC now records the total sales of its joint venture with GM - Shanghai General Motors Corp. - in its financial accounts. In March, SAIC raised its stake in the partnership to 51 percent.

For the first nine months, SAIC's profits more than doubled to 9.6 billion yuan.

"It won't be too difficult for SAIC to maintain steady profit growth," said Zhang Xin, an auto analyst with Guotai Junan Securities Co. in Beijing. "They've got a good strategy to develop their brands and can keep their production costs under control," Zhang said before the earnings were released.

The company makes cars and commercial vehicles in partnerships with GM and Volkswagen, China's two largest foreign automakers.

This year, SAIC aims to sell 3 million cars. The automaker, which owns the Roewe and MG sports-car brands, sold nearly 2.7 million vehicles in the first nine months, up 36 percent.

SAIC has been expanding cooperation with GM. This month, the joint venture will start exporting the Chevrolet Sail to Chile. The car eventually will be sold in South America, North Africa and the Middle East.

Last December, the two carmakers also formed a partnership to sell low-cost commercial vehicles in India.