Shanghai (ZXZC)- SAIC-GM-Wuling (SGMW), a joint venture between General Motors and two Chinese automakers, reported retail sales in March surpassed 130,000 units, a splendid surge compared to the virus-hit February.

The blooming performance skyrockets the automaker to the national sales championship, said SGMW, even though the industrial rankings to all automakers in China will be released around midmonth.

“We are pretty confident in gaining the championship because most automakers still struggled with sales losses in March due to the coronavirus spread,” SGWM told a local media, “we also want to make our employees, dealers and partners feel heartened by this outstanding number.”

According to the parent SAIC Motor's sales report, SGWM sold 99,012 and 170,000 new vehicles in Feb. and Mar. of 2019.

As of March, 98% of SGMW's dealerships have reportedly resumed works, directly resulting in the sales upsurge. The automaker revealed there were seven days in March which saw daily deliveries top 5,000 units. Notably, the volume for three days surpassed 6,000 units per day.

The incentive policies that benefit consumers should be also accountable for the sales hike. At the end of February, SGWM announced it would appropriate RMB1 billion to subsidize consumers' car shopping, setting an enlightening example to peers just as it shifts gear to making the people's urgently needed masks amid the fight against the coronavirus.

In March, the automaker launched the “30-day hassle-free car return” policy for buyers of the New Baojun brand. Those measures to some extend stimulated the car buying demands.

SGWM has been proactively expanding its overseas business. Last year, the company exported roughly 72,000 complete vehicles and knock down kits, posting a year-on-year leap of 131%. The export volume for this year's first quarter soared 254% to 20,700 units.