China imports June 2021: Audi (+39.2%), BMW (+30%) stand out in market down -3.1%

The BMW 7 Series is inside the Top 10 imports in China in June.

Chinese imports drop -3.1% year-on-year in June to 87.391 units, leading to a H1 2021 tally up 13.6% to 492.728. Lexus (-2.9%) almost exactly follows the market to remain in the lead of the imported brands ranking, but the next five marques all score fantastic double-digit year-on-year gains. Audi (+39.2%) and BMW (+30%) are the most dynamic ahead of Porsche (+16%), Mercedes (+11.3%) and Land Rover (+11.2%). In the remainder of the Top 10, Toyota (-71.3%) and Volkswagen (-29.5%) stumble down while Volvo (+14.7%) and Mini (+3.1%) manage an uptick. Further down, Aston Martin (+105.6%), Bentley (+71.7%), Rolls Royce (+42.1%) and Lamborghini (+36.9%) are among the biggest gainers in an import market strongly focused on premium and luxury brands. 

Model-wise, the Lexus ES (-10.9%) remains by far the most successful, followed this month by the Lexus RX (+3%) and Mercedes GLE (-7.1%), both up one spot on May. The Lexus NX (+37.4%) manages an impressive lift but is down two ranks on last month to #4 overall, ahead of the BMW X5 (-3.7%). In a very stable Top 10, the Porsche Cayenne (+0.1%) and Mercedes S-Class (-16.7%) both overtake the Porsche Macan (-2.6%) while the Toyota Alphard (+4.6%) passes the BMW 7 Series (+22.9%). Below, the Audi Q7 (+163.1%), BMW 3 Series GT (+106.1%), Mercedes E Class (+51.5%) and Audi A5 (+42.3%) all make themselves noticed.

Previous month: China imports May 2021: Lexus monopolises podium in market down -11.5%

One year ago: China imports June 2020: Lexus, Mercedes only gainers in Top 22 in market down -37% on high year-ago score

Full June 2021 Top 33 All-brands and Top 145 All-models below.