Chinese-brand cars dominate domestic market

Since January Chinese-brand cars have consistently secured the largest domestic market share, according to the latest statistics from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

In the first half of 2009, Chinese-brand car sales reached 955,300, an increase of 4.21 percentage points year-on-year and accounting for 45.32 percent of the total passenger vehicle sales and 29.45 percent of the total sedan sales respectively.

In addition, with a strong sales momentum, domestic-brand mini buses took a majority share of the market. In the first half, SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile Company sold 525,000 mini vans, mini cars and mini trucks, an increase of more than 49 percent year-on-year.

"In the first half, our sales totaled 176,795 units, up 176 percent year-on-year," said Yang Zhao, director of the Public Relations Department of BYD Auto Sales Company. He added, "Aside from higher consumer recognition of domestic-brands, hot sales can be half attributed to a number of incentive policies adopted by the government."

In the first half, China's vehicle sales stood at 6.1 million, an increase of 17.7 percent year-on-year. China's vehicle output and sales have surpassed one million for four consecutive months, and China has overtaken the US to be the world's largest market for six consecutive months.