Gasgoo.com (Shanghai December 28) - Although official sales statistics from December have yet to be issued, it is generally agreed upon that Chinese automobile exports this year will exceed 800,000 vehicles. In a report today, China Securities News quoted an anonymous source who said that, in addition to promoting development in the market for electric and new energy vehicles, one of the government's key goals next year is to encourage Chinese manufacturers to increase exports.
According to statistics from the China Association for Automobile Manufacturers, 16.82 million vehicles were sold in the country from January to November. The number represents a year-on-year growth of 2.6 percent. Sales of passenger vehicles grew 5.3 percent, while commercial vehicle sales fell 5.9 percent. Exports, meanwhile, totaled 758,300 units in the first eleven months of this year, 274,900 units higher than the amount exported last year.
The number of exports so far this year is equivalent to only four percent of China's total production capacity. While this figure is an improvement from the three percent from last year, it is still far below rates in several other countries, which rates range anywhere from 20 to 50 percent.
According to Ministry of Commerce statistics, Chinese-made automobiles last year were exported to 210 different countries and regions and came from 500 different manufacturers. Chery, Changan, Great Wall, Lifan and JAC are among the country's largest automobile exporters, with exports from other manufacturers extremely limited.
For example, SAIC, the country's largest manufacturer, sold over four million vehicles in the country this year, but had almost no exports. "In a period when the automobile industry will be growing slowly, more attention and energy should be put in developing the untapped market for exports," a source from within the manufacturer said.
In July, the Ministry of Commerce alongside other 10 other government bureaus released a set of recommendations on "Promoting the Sustainable and Sound Development of Electromechanical Products Export during the 12th Five-year Plan," in which they encouraged automobile manufacturers to increase exports by developing more through international sales and after sales service networks, establishing automobile and auto part production sites overseas and ensuring automobiles and motorcycles meet with international standards.
While it is unrealistic to assume that the automobile industry can survive on exports alone, there is a lot of potential for Chinese vehicle exports.
