Shanghai, October 26 (Gasgoo.com) China exported 30,500 vehicles in September, down 36.74% from a year earlier, but up 38.98% from August, the Beijing Times reported, citing industry association.
From January to August, China exported only 221,100 vehicles, down 57.17% from a year earlier, and the total volume of auto imports and exports dropped 24.28% year-on-year (y/y) to $38.744 billion, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM).
About 78,100 passenger cars were exported in the first eight months, down 67.05% y/y and some 143,000 commercial vehicles were exported, down 47.28% y/y.
China's vehicle sales in September vaulted 78% from a year earlier to 1.33 million units. Total sales for the first nine months rose to 9.66 million units, up 34%, and the whole-year sales may exceed 12 million, the CAAM said.
But it was less optimistic about China's auto export market after September's exports fell 36.74% to 30,500 units. "The vehicle export market isn't out of the woods yet and is still in a gloomy period," the association said.
The government's statistics bureau described this year's export climate as "severe." Exports collapsed in late 2008 and remain the key weakness for the Chinese economy.
