American automotive firm General Motors and its Chinese partners defied China's economic slowdown by selling nearly 277,979 units in April, up 7.5 percent from the previous year.

GM's performance was boosted thanks to the strong demand for SUVs and a 56 percent sale increase for its largest branch in China Buick. The brand managed to sell 98,992 units in April due the continued demand for Excelle GT sedan and Envision SUV.

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"GM continues to grow in segments that are on top of consumers' purchase lists," Matt Tsien, president of GM China, said. "We have more new vehicles on the way in the SUV, MPV and luxury segments."

Cadillac's sales climbed 13 percent to more than 7,000 vehicles, including the new CT6 sedan and XT5 crossover that went on sale in January and April, respectively. Meanwhile, Chevrolet, which will launch a number of new models including Malibu XL this year, posted a negative sale report plunging 29 percent from April 2015 to 35,431.

On the other hand, Baojun brand's sales skyrocketed 56 percent to 37, 915, thanks to the Baojun 730 MPV and Baojun 560 SUV. The most recent Baojun 310 hatchback, which was unveiled at the Beijing auto show, will hit showrooms this summer.

Sales of Wuling last month also plummeted by 14 percent to 98,580 vehicles, showing the contraction of the mini-commercial vehicle industry.

Overall, Detroit-based General Motors and its joint ventures managed to sell 1,241,631 units within the first four months of the year, up by 1.7 percent from the same period in 2015.

While GM is reporting an upward trend, Ford, on the other hand, posted an 11 percent slump in sales last month. However, despite the soft numbers, the automobile company will still continue to capitalize on the growth potential in the country.

TagsGeneral Motors, car sales, SUVs, buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Baojun, Wuling