Volvo Sales Boom

Volvo Car Group reported on August 5 that the company’s global sales increased by 14 percent in July compared to the same month last year thanks to substantial growth in China and Europe.

Retail sales in July amounted to 33，650 vehicles， while sales in China rose by 61.6 percent to 4，640 cars in July， according to a press release from the company.

The performance in China was largely attributed to sales of the 2，278 XC60 model， which created a new all-time sales record for a single month.

Local Brand Smartphones

China Mobile Ltd. officially entered the booming mobile terminal market on August 2 as it unveiled its own-brand of smartphone models.

The China Mobile M701， a 5-inch screen Android-based smartphone， is priced at 1，299 yuan（$212）. The China Mobile M601 is a 4-inch screen， dual-core Android smartphone that targets price conscious consumers with a pricetag of 499 yuan（$82）.

The two smartphones are produced by equipment manufacturers， Hisense Group and Shenzhen-based BYD Co. Ltd.， respectively. They will hit the Chinese market through China Mobile’s online and offline outlets in August.

Industry watchers say China Mobile’s move aims to create a platform that seamlessly integrates its current mobile services and other mobile applications.

The other benefit for China Mobile in launching its own brand of smartphones is that it helps the carrier expand in county-level markets.