GM and its joint ventures sold 173,398 vehicles in China last month, the automaker said in a statement. Buick sales rose 15 percent to 50,265 units, while Chevrolet deliveries gained 17 percent to 46,154, according to the statement.

Sales by SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile Co., its microvan venture with SAIC Motor Corp., fell to 77,944 units from 90,658 a year earlier, according to the company.

China's auto sales have slowed from the record 32 percent gain last year after the government phased out incentives and imposed ownership restrictions to curb traffic congestion. China overtook the United States as the world's largest car market in 2009.

Industry sales likely will grow 10 percent in 2011 as deliveries of mini-commercial vehicles fall, said Kevin Wale, president of GM's China business, in a July 8 interview. That compares with his forecast last November for a gain of 10 to 15 percent.