HONG KONG, Nov 18 (Reuters) - Volume sales by Brilliance China Automotive Holdings Ltd rose four percent year-on-year in the first 10 months, against a three percent drop in the first half, according to a Bank of China International report on Monday.
The company's 51 percent-owned factory, the largest Chinese minibus maker, sold 55,592 mini-buses in the first 10 months, the bank said in a research report.
Brilliance China officials were not immediately available for comment.
Shares in Brilliance China rose 6.93 percent to a near two-month high at HK$1.08 by 0717 GMT following confirmation last week that Liaoning provincial government is in talks to buy a big stake in Brilliance.
Dealers said that the stock had been sold down on worries over the company's management, following a dispute between its former chairman Yang Rong and the provincial government over the company's ownership.
Bank of China International said it believed Brilliance China would sell 64,950 minibuses this year.
It also said it expected Brilliance China to sell 7,500 Zhonghua sedans, which it just launched in August, this year.
The sedan project was expected to incur an initial loss of 228 million yuan (US$27.54 million) this year due to start-up costs, but should be profitable by 2003, the report said.
Brilliance China is planning a luxury car joint venture in China with German automaker BMW .
(US$1=8.277 Yuan)