China 2009: BYD F3 crowned, Excelle & Elantra Yuedong follow
BYD F3
The Chinese sales ranking is completely reshuffled in 2009: after 3 consecutive years on top, the VW Jetta drops to 4th in spite of sales still increasing by 11% at 224,857 units. The best-selling passenger car title goes to the BYD F3, with a record 291,010 sales, up 113% on 2008! Never a car had sold so many units in a single year in China. The BYD F3 is also the first car to sell more than 30,000 units in a month in the country. More on BYD here.
Buick Excelle
The Buick Excelle, thanks to the new generation launched late last year, is able to stay #2 with sales up 37% at 241,109 units. The Hyundai Elantra Yuedong climbs on the podium at #3 for its first full year at 239,449 sales (+203%).The previous generation Elantra, still on sale and restyled this year manages to grow by 48%, reclaiming a spot in the Top 10 at #6!
Hyundai Elantra Yuedong
The Honda Accord (+3%), Toyota Corolla (-5%) and Camry (+2%) withdraw a bit this year, as the Tianjin Xiali stays 9th with sales up 22%. The VW Lavida, positioned by VW as a possible long-term Jetta or Santana replacement, is #10 for its first full year with 146,455 sales.
Full Top 10 Ranking Table below.
China Full Year 2009:
| Pos | Model | FY 2009 | 09/08 | FY 2008 | Pos |
| 1 | BYD F3 | 291,010 | 113% | 136,782 | 7 |
| 2 | Buick Excelle | 241,109 | 37% | 175,417 | 2 |
| 3 | Hyundai Elantra Yuedong | 239,449 | 203% | 79,016 | 21 |
| 4 | VW Jetta | 224,857 | 11% | 202,303 | 1 |
| 5 | Honda Accord | 175,357 | 3% | 170,517 | 3 |
| 6 | Hyundai Elantra | 171,605 | 48% | 115,719 | 11 |
| 7 | Toyota Corolla | 157,457 | -5% | 165,271 | 4 |
| 8 | Toyota Camry | 156,270 | 2% | 153,532 | 5 |
| 9 | Tianjin Xiali | 147,547 | 22% | 120,969 | 9 |
| 10 | VW Lavida | 146,455 | 230% | 44,392 | 50 |
