China January 2012: Huge month for the VW Passat

VW Passat

* See the Top 250 best-selling models by clicking on the title! Thanks DC *

The Chinese models ranking is as volatile as ever, with last month’s leader – the Honda Accord – down to 42nd place in January and this month’s #1 up 19 spots on December: it’s the VW Passat, taking full advantage of the new generation now widely available across the country to grab the Chinese monthly pole position for the very first time in the nameplate’s history with a whopping 30,001 sales!

This means the VW Passat is only the second model in history to sell over 30,000 monthly units in China with the BYD F3 which last passed this benchmark in March 2010… For perspective, the Passat is also a massive success in its native Germany, ranking on the podium almost every month but struggling to pass the 10,000 monthly sales.

Buick Excelle GT

The following 3 models are regulars: the Buick Excelle, 2011’s best-seller, is #2 at 28,680 units, the Chevrolet Cruze is #3 with 22,711 sales and the Chevrolet Sail is #4 at 21,439 units. There are a couple of other outstanding performances in the Top 10 this month: the VW Tiguan reaches a best-ever 5th position thanks to 20,408 sales, the Buick Excelle XT/GT is also at its highest ever in 6th place at 19,787 sales while the Hyundai Verna delivers a brilliant 17,186 units at #8.

Baojun 630

Not only did General Motors place 4 models in the Top 6 this month, it also seems to have cracked the low-cost equation in China: the Baojun 630 hasn’t stopped climbing the ranking since its launch last August: it is up another 20 spots in January to knock at the Top 30’s door at #31 with an impressive 9,006 sales. In comparison, Honda’s attempt at a low-cost brand/model, the Linian S1, is down 36 spots to #143 in January.

Brilliance V5

A few recent launches shine further down the ranking: the Peugeot 308 is up 25 ranks on December to #53, the Brilliance V5 is up a massive 132 ranks to #79 with 4,310 sales for its first full month, the Lifan X60 is up 37 spots to #123, while the Gleagle GC7 (#143) and Riich G3 (#147) are a bit more shy. Notice also the DongFeng Fengshan H30/S30 up 105 ranks to #50 and the ChangAn CX20 up 71 spots to #59.

Great Wall Voleex C50

We welcome 3 new models this month in the Chinese ranking but they are rather discreet: the Great Wall Voleex C50 sells 424 units at #186, the ChangAn Eado is #213 with 129 sales and the locally produced Toyota Prius makes its first appearance at #227 and 72 units.

Previous month: China December 2011: Honda Accord and Great Wall Haval impress

Full Year 2011: Buick Excelle #1 after 4 years at #2

One year ago: China January 2011: BYD F3 on top, Nissan Sunny launches

Full January 2011 Top 250 Ranking Table below.