Roewe retail sales more than double year-on-year in June. There is now a May 2019 Retail sales article here. Up 41.7% year-on-year, retail sales in China this month offer us the starkest possible contrast with wholesales figures, down -9.6%. Before Stage 6 emissions standards come into place in two-thirds of…
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…
The Foton Light Truck teases the Wuling Mini Truck for the #1 LCV spot this month. Whereas it had managed to hold up extremely well so far this year, the Chinese Light Commercial Vehicle market falls off a cliff in May at -15% to just 250.843 units, tilting the year-to-date…
A new Suzuki Alto has landed in Pakistan. Thanks to PAMA we can share with you June sales of locally-produced light vehicles in Pakistan, a fair representation of the market as very high taxes make imports negligible. Sales slow down their fall in June at -5.2% year-on-year to 17.561 units, leading…
The Kia Sportage is back in charge of the Ukrainian market. After three consecutive months of gain, new car sales in Ukraine are almost immobile in June, losing just 13 units or -0.2% year-on-year to 6.500 registrations which brings the H1 2019 tally down -2% to 38.693. Toyota (+47.1%) and…
The Kwid (+36.5) slides into the Top 5 and helps Renault up 20.2%. New car sales in Brazil leap up 10.8% year-on-year over the First Half of 2019 to 1.248.899, the largest volume at this stage of the year since 2015 (1.269.853). A clear concentration towards the most trusted brands…
Jeep lifts its record volume to 11.032 in June with only two models on sale. The Brazilian new car market signs a 25th year-on-year gain in the past 26 months in June at a very solid +9.4% to 213.438 registrations. Like last month, the Top 3 best-selling brands outpace the…
Tasra my Peugeot Pars in the Dasht-e Lut desert, aka Empty desert. This is Part 4 of our exploration of Iran in a Peugeot Pars. You can see Part 1: Tehran here, Part 2: Isfahan here and Part 3: Shiraz here. We are now headed east towards the border with Afghanistan…
Road signs in Arabic script are to be read from right to left, but Persian numbers (at the centre) from left to right. This is Part 3 of our exploration of Iran in a Peugeot Pars. You can see Part 1: Tehran here and Part 2: Isfahan here. After enjoying…
My rental Peugeot Pars near Mount Damavand, Tehran Province. Iran regularly makes headlines for all the wrong reasons - religious extremism, nuclear threats and thunderous ayatollahs - yet almost every visitor returns enchanted. The contrast is such that I felt I had to see it for myself to make up…
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…
Chevrolet soars 51.5% year-on-year in a market down -12.1% The hecatomb continues for the Uruguyan market at -12.1% in May to just 3.356 units, leading to a year-to-date tally down -19.4% to 15.563. Volkswagen (-12.4%) remains on top followed by Fiat (-12.2%) up 3 spots on April to #2 but it's…
Honda sales are up 18.1% in a market down -16.4% Far from building up on the signs of recovery the market showed earlier in the year, Chinese wholesales fall even deeper into depression in May with their steepest year-on-year drop so far at a ghastly -16.4% to 1.912.600 units, marking…
Haval H6 Coupe near Kunming After Shanghai and Manzhouli in Inner Mongolia, we continue our exploration of China following the Shanghai Auto Show and now fly all the way down north near the border with Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam to the Yunnan province. We start with the province's capital,…
Suzuki Cultus sales surge 80.3% year-on-year in Pakistan. Sales of locally-made cars in Pakistan continue to freefall at -18% year-on-year in May to 17.891, leading to a year-to-date tally down -11.5% to 102.643. Suzuki (-13.5%) manages to lose less ground than the market, resulting in an improved 56.3% share, but…