Greatwall H6 SUV.[Photo/cnautonews.com]

Great Wall Motor Co, China's largest SUV maker, sold 367,857 vehicles in the first half of the year, up 40 percent from the same period last year.

The volume growth was powered by robust SUV sales, which surged 78 percent year-on-year to 186,605 units, according to the company.

Sedan sales rose 30 percent to 113,715 units during the period. By contrast, Great Wall's pickup sales dropped 1 percent from a year earlier to 67,513 units.

In the first six months, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co, another major Chinese automaker, sold 263,544 vehicles, up 19 percent year-on-year.

For 2013, Great Wall aims to sell 700,000 vehicles while Geely expects to sell 560,000 vehicles.