Summary: Own brand sedan sales performances in August 2014

Gasgoo.com (Shanghai) - While own brand sedan sales were stronger this August than they had been the previous month, they had fallen sharply from August 2013. According to statistics from Gasgoo.com (Chinese), a total of 179,400 own brand sedans were sold over the course of the month. Although the figure is 15.7 percent higher than the 155,100 units sold the previous month, it is a full 20.1 percent lower than the 224,500 sold in August 2013. Own brand manufacturers' combined share in the domestic sedan market also fell 5.4 percent points to just 19.6 percent.

A total of 1.72 million own brand sedans have been sold from January to August, representing negative year-on-year growth of 14.4 percent. Own brands' market share for that time frame was 21.7 percent, down 4.9 percent from the previous year.

The majority of own brand manufacturers saw sales of their sedan models fall. Changan Automobile was the month's best performing own brand manufacturer in the sedan segment, followed by Geely, BYD, Chery, Dongfeng Nissan's Venucia brand, BAIC, SAIC, FAW Car, Zotye and Brilliance. Among them, sedan sales of Geely, BYD, Chery, SAIC, and Brilliance all fell over 20 percent.

Geely, which is currently undergoing internal reorganization, has seen its sales suffer all year. Sales of its sedan division fell 24.1 percent August, with sales volumes decreasing from 30,800 units to 23,400 units. BYD and Chery also suffered similar fates, with their sedan sales falling 25.8 percent and 34.7 percent, respectively.

SAIC sedan sales fell 45.2 percent from the 15,400 units sold in August 2013 to the 8,450 sold in August 2014. Sales of all of the manufacturer's sedan models fell. Brilliance sedan sales, meanwhile, decreased 42.9 percent. Great Wall fared no better, selling just 3,051 sedans, down 78.2 percent and forcing the manufacturer out of the top ten list.

Positive year-on-year sales growth rates for the remaining manufacturers were attributed to the introduction of new models. BAIC was the strongest performer, with the warm reception its Shenbao D50 received help push its total sedan sales to 8,600 units, representing year-on-year growth of 87 percent. Changan's CX30 and Eado helped it achieve similar positive performances, with its sedan sales growing 34.6 percent. Dongfeng Nissan's Venucia brand similarly benefited from the launch of its new R30.

The Changan Eado was the most popular own brand sedan in August. It was followed by Geely's Emgrand EC7, the BYD F3, the Haima Family, BAIC Shenbao D50, Geely MK, Roewe 350, Chery Fulwin 2, Besturn B50 and Zotye Z300. Both the Eado and EC7 broke the 10,000 sales barrier, with the former achieving year-on-year sales growth of 110.2 percent.