Summary: Small SUV segment in China in January

Gasgoo.com (Shanghai) - The Chinese automobile market continues to see sales of smaller and smaller SUVs increase; this trend continued on into 2015, as Gasgoo.com (Chinese) sales statistics from January show. Sales of small SUVs totaled 157,100 units in January, nearly tripling from the 53,000 small SUVs sold in January of last year. Small SUVs made up just over three-tenths of all SUVs sold in the country over the course of the month, compared to less than two-tenths a year ago.

The Changan CS35 was the country’s top-selling small SUV model in January. It was followed by the JAC Refine, Great Wall Haval H2, Chery Tiggo 3, Guangqi Honda Vezel, Beijing Hyundai ix25, Peugeot 2008, Great Wall H1, Ford EcoSport and Buick Enclave.

The Changan CS35’s performance this year was exceptionally good, with its sales over doubling from 10,600 units in January 2014 to 22,200 units this January. The CS35 has been praised by consumers for its modern design, wealth of accessories and reasonable price.

Chery’s Tiggo 3 has also seen its sales increase exceptionally, over doubling from last year to 9,489 units this year. Meanwhile sales of the Ford EcoSport increased 18.2 percent from January 2014 to January of this year, while sales of the Buick Enclave fell 28 percent.

Among SUV models which did not appear on last year’s top ten sales charts, JAC Motor’s Refine performed especially strongly, with a total of 20,200 units sold in January. The strong performance of the Refine, which debuted last August, was a stellar example of the growing success of the small SUV segment.

Despite increasingly fierce competition, the small SUV segment remains promising for automobile manufacturers. It remains to be seen which companies will rise to the top of the fray.