China February 2014: VW Santata takes off at +189%

VW Santana

* NOW UPDATED with the Top 309 All-models and Top 66 All-brands rankings! *

The Chinese market is up an insolent 18% year-on-year in February to 1.6 million units, brushing off all suggestions that it may slow down in 2014… Below the traditional Wuling Hongguang (65,129 sales), VW Lavida (45,847) and Ford Focus (27,899), the hero of the month is the VW Santana, now benefitting fully from the widespread availability of the new generation. It is up a huge 189% on February 2013 to land in 4th place, the nameplate’s best ranking in years. At 27,661 sales, it is only 109 units below its record breaking January score, a month when most models have broken records. The Buick Excelle is up 3 spots on last month to round up the Top 5.

The ChangAn Honor is the third best-selling Chinese Passenger Car at home this month.

Other great performers atop the ranking this month include the VW TIguan up 9 spots to #6 and 21,666 sales, the Haval H6 back up 3 to #11 and the VW Polo stable at #13 vs. #24 over the Full Year 2013. The successful Chinese models in February are remarkably different from usual: the ChangAn Honor ranks #3 local at #24, followed by the BYD S6 at #28, Dongfeng Future at #31 and the ChangAn Eado at #32 while the Emgrand EC7 and Great Wall M4 are down to #34 and #35 respectively. Notice also the Brilliance FSV/H330 shining at #40 and 7,829 sales, up 170% year-on-year.

The Qoros 3 makes its very first appearance in the Chinese ranking this month.

Let’s also salute the beautiful 29th place of the BMW 5 Series L, the Hyundai Mistra maintaining itself inside the Top 40 at #39, the BMW 3 Series L up 17 ranks to #53 and the Peugeot 301 breaking into the Chinese Top 100 for the first time, up 37 spots on January to #64 and a record 5,682 units, becoming the brand’s best-seller in the country. Among recent launches, the Fiat Ottimo is up 61 spots to #206 and the much anticipated Qoros 3 is the only all-new entrant in the ranking this month, landing at #242 with 350 sales.

Previous post: China February 2014: Market up 18%

Previous month: China January 2014: Wuling Hongguang, VW Lavida & Buick Excelle XT/GT break records

One year ago: China February 2013: Lavida leads, 1 of 6 Volkswagens in Top 8

Full February Top 309 All-local models and Top 66 All-brands Ranking Tables below.