H1 output, sales of PVs grow slower than CVs

Shanghai, July 16 (Gasgoo.com) Both the output and sales of vehicles in China topped 5 million units in the first half of 2008, up 15% year on year, though the growth is slower by 7 percentage points than one year ago, reported xinhuanet.com yesterday, citing the latest data from China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM). The output and sales of passenger vehicles grew slower than those of commercial vehicles in the six months.

Carmakers in China produced nearly 5.2 million vehicles from January to June, up 16.7% over one year earlier, while sales of vehicles made in China hit 5.18 million units, a rise of 18.5% over the figure of last year's first six months, said the industry association.

In the January-June period, some 3.65 million passenger vehicles were made in China, growing by nearly 16% year on year, and there were 3.6 million passenger vehicles sold in the first half in the country, up 17%. The total sales included 2.67 million sedans, 224,300 SUVs, and 111,400 MPVs, up 16.72%, 42% and 4.09% year-on-year, respectively.

Over the six months, Chinese carmakers built about 1.55 million commercial vehicles, a year-on-year growth of 18.5%, while about 1.57 million commercial vehicles were sold in the Chinese market, rising up to 22% over last year.

In June, vehicle sales in China rose 15.35% year-on-year to 836,800 units, with output up 13.96% at 837,200 units. Passenger vehicle sales rose 4.2% last month from a year earlier to 588,400 units, while commercial vehicle sales were up 15.58% to 248,400 units.

Dong Yang, vice chairman of the CAAM, predicted earlier that China's domestic auto sales is expected to rise by 15% to 10 million units this year.