China imports April 2023: Land Rover Defender (+112%) shoots up to #4, sales up 28.4%

Land Rover Defender sales more than double year-on-year in China this month.

New car imports in China rise 28.4% year-on-year in April to 57,427 units, however keep in mind April 2022 sales collapsed -47.7% on the year prior due to Covid lockdowns. Therefore we are still way off the April 2021 level (71,016). The year-to-date tally is now down -3.4% to 231,280. In the space of a few years, China has become a net exporter as imports gradually fall and exports shoot up (up 70% to 376,000 units in April). Mercedes (+32.7%) beats the market to cement its newfound leadership with almost 13,000 sales. It distances Lexus (-6.2%) in difficulty again as it can’t capitalise on the market growth. The Japanese pure importer sold less than 10,000 units in April. BMW (+24.7%) and Porsche (+24.7%) follow but trail the market slightly unlike Audi (+93.6%), Land Rover (+74.8%), Volkswagen (+58.8%), Volvo (+40%) and Toyota (+31.3%) in the remainder of the Top 10. Mini (-28.3%) sinks as it does year-to-date (-44.8%).

Over in the models lane, the Lexus ES (+4.1%) scores a timid lift but easily stays atop the charts with a 2,235-unit advantage over the #2, the Mercedes GLE (+24.6%). The Porsche Cayenne (+19.8%) is down one spot on last month to #3, a ranking it now also holds year-to-date. The Land Rover Defender (+112%) lodges the largest year-on-year gain in the Top 10, up four ranks on March to a record 4th place and cracking the YTD Top 10 at #9. The Lexus RX (-28.1%) is back inside the Top 5, rallying 101 spots on uncharacteristically low year-ago volumes. It remains way below its year-ago level though. The BMW 4 Series (+105.5%) is by far the brand’s best-seller, with the Porsche Panamera (+52.3%) and Volvo XC90 (+35%) also performing well among the 10 most popular models. Just outside the Top 10, the Audi Q7 (+261%) and Range Rover (+105.7%) stand out. 

Previous month: China imports March 2023: Volkswagen, Volvo, Land Rover shine in stable market (-1.6%)

One year ago: China imports April 2022: Market collapses -47.7%, Land Rover best holder in Top 10, Mercedes Maybach S-Class stuns

Full April 2023 Top 35 All brands and Top 152 All models below.