CHINA

GM to Target Drivers: Despite a Chinese government directive limiting the number of cars sold, General Motors Corp. intends to launch a massive campaign to get Chinese drivers into its vehicles, the official China Daily reported. Michael Husson, a GM official, said last week that the company plans to be an aggressive player in China’s auto market and will launch its sales campaign soon, the newspaper reported. In July, Vice Premier and central bank governor Zhu Rongji said China’s appetite for cars would have to be curbed until after the country’s 23.3% inflation rate is tamed. He said state companies and provincial offices would be barred from buying new vehicles. But the Chinese government signed contracts with major American car manufacturers in April, before the plan was in place. They bought 4,650 GM cars, 5,200 cars from Ford and 4,000 vans and sedans from Chrysler, the paper said.