Gasgoo.com (Shanghai March 27) - Chinese automobile imports in February totaled 98,874 units, the Beijing Morning Post reported today. The number represents a year-on-year increase of 62 percent. Passenger automobiles constituted the vast majority, 96,245 units, of that amount.
SUV imports (46,000 units) managed to top those of sedans (43,000 units) in the month. Year-on-year growth for the two segments was 48.3 percent and 45.4 percent, respectively. Minivans were fairly unpopular, with only 6,000 units imported, 6.3 percent more than last February. Despite a relatively lackluster performance, growth in the market for foreign minivans in China remains high, due in no small part to the Chinese debut of the new VW Sharan (pictured above) and Multivan. Meanwhile, the newly released Lexus CT200h (pictured below), Seat Leon and new versions of the VW Golf were among the most popular sedans.
According to statistics from the General Administration of Customs, a total of 181,570 vehicles, including 177,595 passenger automobiles, were imported in the first two months of the year.
