8.635 Baojun RM-5 were delivered to Chinese dealerships in September. After detailing Chinese September wholesales, as is the tradition we now explore the all-new locally-produced launches for the month, so you can keep up-to-date on the fastest-evolving automotive market in the world. Note: these updates are based on wholesales figures,…
VW's new Jetta low-cost brand has now officially landed in China. Chinese wholesales endure a ghastly 15th consecutive month of year-on-year fall in September but, somewhat encouragingly, a third straight single-digit drop at -5.2% to 2.271.000 units for the month. This is split into 1.931.000 passenger cars (-6.3%) and 340.000…
Volkswagen is now the #1 brand in Uruguay YTD. New car sales in Uruguay skid down -2.5% year-on-year in September to 3.355 units, leading to a year-to-date tally down -9.9% to 29.179. Volkswagen (+35%) holds onto the monthly top spot for the 5th time in the past 6 months, snatching…
Baojun introduces the new RC-6 in China... The Chinese Retail market (end-customer registrations) continues to suffer from pulled forward sales in June ahead of the Stage 6 emissions standards implementation on July 1: after freefalling -20.4% in July, the market sinks another -20.1% in August to 1.438.543 units, tilting the year-to-date…
The GAC NE Aion S is among the 10 best-selling New Energy vehicles in China for the first time. Confirming wholesales results (-15.8%), Chinese retail sales of New Energy vehicles drop for the 2nd straight month in August at -7.1% to 73.308, yet the year-to-date tally remains exceedingly in positive…
The Toyota Alphard Hybrid has landed in China. After soaring 184.8% to an all-time record 211.378 unit volume in June, sales of New Energy vehicles (or electrified vehicles) were expected to be less spectacular in July but a downright year-on-year drop (-6.1%) is certainly not what carmakers bargained for. The year-to-date…
After exploring the Chinese wholesales market for July, it is now time to focus on the all-new locally-produced launches for the month, so you know you are up-to-date on the fastest-evolving automotive market in the world. Note these updates are based on wholesales figures, and sometimes new nameplates appear first in…
Honda posts the largest year-on-year gain in the Top 13. A last minute sales rush in June to clear out non-compliant vehicles ahead of the implementation of Stage 6 emissions standards means the Chinese retail market is actually up 4.6% over H1 2019 to 10.630.614 units. It has been a…
The Chery eQ1 hits a new volume record just under 9.000 sales. There is now a New Energy May 2019 article here. After hitting the brakes in May (-1.7%), the New Energy market in China is back with a vengeance, up 184.8% in June to an all-time record 211.378 units,…
Honda manages to swim upstream in China, and the facelifted XR-V will continue the trend in H2. It's a Semester to forget for new light vehicle wholesales in China, down a ghastly -12.4% year-on-year over the First Half of 2019 to 12.323.000 units. This cancels four years of growth, represents…
The new Aion S EV helps GAC sales up 28% in a market down -9.6%. The loop is looped: with a -9.6% year-on-year decline in June, the Chinese wholesales market has now been down for a full year or 12 consecutive months, something that hadn't happened in at least 30…
It's thumbs up from me on the BYD Tang EV. I kept the best for last, and this final iteration of this China Test Drives 2019 series following the Shanghai Auto Show details the most impressive car I got to drive this year: the BYD Tang EV. BYD (for Build…
The new A-Class helps Mercedes retail sales up 14.3% in China in May. Just as wholesales continue to freefall (-16.4%), retail sales contain their decline to -4.4% in May to 1.710.251 units and -2.1% so far in 2019 to 8.420.323 (-2.1%). Keep in mind wholesales are factory shipments to dealerships and…
Baojun E200. New Energy vehicles include electric, hydrogen, PHEV and hybrid models, and in this update we are referring to retail sales including imports as these offer a much more complete picture of New Energy sales than wholesales alone. In May, sales of New Energy vehicles in China edge down…
Shanghai street scene. Like every year, after reporting on the main Chinese Auto Show (this year in Shanghai), we now embark on an exploration of the car landscapes of various regions in the country. This year we returned to Shanghai for the first time since 2015. You can consult our…