China Q3 2012: VW outsells General Motors for first time in 8 years

Picture by Philippe Lopez/AFP/Getty

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VW’s sales in China are up 21% over the third quarter of 2012 to 704,991 vehicles, vs. 664,765 for General Motors. It is the first time in 8 years that Volkswagen manages to pass GM, putting the German company one step closer to its aim of becoming the world’s biggest automaker by 2018. While quarterly comparisons only go back to mid-2009, annual data shows Volkswagen hasn’t held the lead in China since 2004. China is both Volkswagen’s and General Motors’ biggest market in the world.

The new Lavida helped VW pass General Motors over Q3 2012 in China.

In 2009, China passed the United States as the world’s biggest car market. Autonews says the Chinese car market will likely exceed those of the United States, Japan and Germany combined by 2015… But I can see a few of you regular BSCB readers looking at this article with big, surprised eyes. How can General Motors still be at the same level as Volkswagen I hear you ask, given 5 of the Top 10 best-selling cars in 2012 so far are VW? Oh but there’s a trick. If VW counts Hong Kong and Macau in its Chinese sales figures but excludes trucks, General Motors does the opposite and includes sales of $5,000+ Wuling minivans.

Wuling Sunshine. Wuling accounts for 50% of General Motors’ sales in China.

And as you know, Wuling minivans sell like hot cakes in China, outselling all other 4-wheel vehicles in the country for the past 8 years. In fact, Autonews thinks that GM’s ability to fend off Volkswagen this year and in the future could hinge solely on Wuling’s minivans, with Wuling accounting for about half of the GM’s sales in China.

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