Gasgoo.com (Shanghai August 24) - Chinese passenger vehicle imports in the first half of the year increased 36 percent, the Beijing Youth Daily reported today, quoting figures from the China Automobile Trading Company. The increase in imports was led by luxury automobiles, which were over 70 percent than last year.
Following natural disasters earlier in the year, the ratio of Japanese vehicles imported decreased considerably (22 percent) in the first half of the year. Japanese cars are finally recovering, with its market ratio reaching 18 percent in June. The recovery puts more pressure on an already competitive market.
The amount of German cars as a ratio of total imports increased to 47 percent. BMW's imports grew 50 percent, taking the title of most imported brand away from Mercedes-Benz. Thanks to steady growth in Phaeton and Touareg sales, VW also saw its market coverage increase .5 percent.
SUVs continued to prove a popular segment for overseas brands, with the amount imported exceeding 220,000 units. The BMW X1, Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class, Dodge Ram, Subaru Outback and Renault Koleos were among the SUVs most worthy of attention in the first half of the year. The rise in imports in the SUV segment were due on increasingly stagnant domestic designs.
