Great Wall Motor led Chinese automakers in sales of pickup trucks last year by selling 71,000 units, securing a 28% market share in the domestic pickup segment, media sources reported over the weekend.

China's pickup sales totaled 255,800 units during the year of 2009, including 28,855 units sold in December, according to the latest statistics released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM).

In pickup sales last year, the leading seller was Great Wall Motor, followed by Nissan, Jiangling, Zhongxing, Beiqi Foton and Gonow Auto, which separately seized a market share of 15.4%, 12.3%, 13.5%, 7.4% and 6.9%. Statistics on 11 major pickup brands registered at the CAAM show that their total sales reached 28,855 units in December 2009. Great Wall's pickup sales doubled from a year earlier to 9,068 units in the last month.

Thanks to the government's incentives for rural purchases and company's sales promotions, Great Wall Motor's pickups hit a record of monthly sales in December, reinforcing its lead in China's pickup sales since 1998.