GM Sales Accelerated in China, India

Although domestic auto sales sagged in 2008, General Motors(GM Quote) and Ford(F Quote) both found reasons to brag in other parts of the world.

In Asia, General Motors reported record sales of 1.5 million vehicles, a 2.7% increase. The gains were led by sales in India and China, where GM is the top foreign carmaker with about 12% of the market.

"GM once again outperformed the Asia Pacific market as a whole despite the global economic downturn and credit shortage," said Nick Reilly, president of GM Asia Pacific, in a prepared statement. "We benefited from rising demand for our products in the region's key emerging markets."

Meanwhile, Ford reported that its market share in the United Kingdom in 2008 rose 0.4% points to 16.3%. For the 10th consecutive year, Ford Focus was the U.K.'s bestselling car.

Overall, industry sales in the U.K. fell by 11.3%, while Ford volume fell by 7.6%. Ford is the second leading automaker in Western Europe, behind Volkswagen.