SHANGHAI (AFP) ― U.S. auto giant General Motors said Monday its sales in China jumped 15.3 percent in September from a year earlier to 240,244 units, despite government moves to phase out incentives for buyers.

In the first nine months of the year, GM and its joint ventures sold a record 1.89 million vehicles in the world’s biggest auto market, up 6.6 percent year on year, the company said in a statement.

“GM has maintained our momentum in China, with all of our major brands setting new September sales marks,” said GM China Group president Kevin Wale.

GM said its September sales ― the second-highest for a single month ― puts the auto maker on track to surpass two million units for the 10 months ending October and set a record for the entire year.