BEIJING -- General Motors and Ford reported first-half sales grew strongly in China's booming auto market Tuesday, a rare bright spot for global automakers, according to the Associated Press.

GM said sales of its Buick, Chevrolet and Cadillac brands rose 12.7 percent from the first half of last year to 590,126 vehicles. Ford Motor Co. said its sales rose 21 percent from the year-earlier period to 172,411 vehicles.

Growth was weaker than the stunning rates reported in 2007, when Ford's China sales grew by 30 percent. But they still were far stronger than in North America, where automakers are idling factories amid a severe sales downturn.