HTC CEO Peter Chou has spoken out in defence of the Google Nexus One, dismissing the recent speculation regarding poor sales figures for the smartphone.  Speaking at CTIA Wireless this week, Chou described the Nexus One as a halo device for HTC and suggested that Google’s intent with the smartphone was more to show what Android is capable of rather than to dominate the market in terms of sheer sales.

Analysts Flurry caught headlines earlier this month by suggesting Nexus One sales severely lagged behind both the first-gen iPhone and the Motorola DROID in their first weeks of availability.  In defence, while Chou wouldn’t reveal specific sales figures, he did say that “considering Google didn’t do [standard] retail or marketing for it, the Nexus One is doing pretty well.”

“We can quickly leverage that [Nexus One] credit to show that we are the top Android brand” Chou explained.  The company have used pretty much the same hardware as is found in the Google-branded device for their own HTC Desire, set to go on sale in Europe imminently.