Summary: SUV sales lead the Chinese passenger automobile market in November

Gasgoo.com (Shanghai) - With the introduction of effective economic stimulus policies and the traditional buying craze in the lead up to Chinese New Year, the Chinese passenger automotive market ushered in a resurgence in November. According to Gasgoo.com (Chinese) statistics, a total of 2.11 million automobiles were sold in the country over the course of the month, representing year-on-year growth of 24.6% compared to the 1.69 million automobiles sold last November. Both the monthly sales volume and year-on-year sales growth rate were record highs for the year. A total of 17.81 million automobiles have been sold in China from January to November, representing year-on-year growth of 8.2%.

Various manufacturers in the market have benefited from this increase in sales as a whole. Domestic own brand manufacturers posted the most impressive performance, with a total of 831,932 own brand passenger automobiles sold in November, representing strong sales growth of 30.6%. Own brands saw their share in the passenger automotive market increase to 39.3%. Own brands benefited greatly from SUV sales, with over 47% of all SUVs sold in the country being made by own brands.

Among foreign brands, German brand passenger automobiles achieved high sales growth of 31.4% in November, with their monthly sales totaling 400,276 units. Japanese and American brand passenger automobile sales, which totaled 351,357 units and 270,808 units, also enjoyed good double-digit sales growth rates of 18.7% and 22.8%, respectively. Korean and French passenger automobile sales grew 11.5% and 7.3%, respectively.

SUVs remained the major driver of passenger automobile sales growth in November. A total of 715,083 SUVs were sold in November, up 69.5% from the previous year. SUVs accounted for 33.8% of all passenger automobiles sold in the country, up 9 percentage points from last November.

The sedan market, whose sales have contracted over the year, have seen some recovery in November, with a total of 1.17 million sedans sold over the course of the month. Sedan sales, which accounted for over 55% of all passenger automobiles sold in November, grew 9.0% from last year. Minivan sales in November totaled 231,356 units, representing year-on-year growth of 14.0%.

All SUV manufacturers posted strong sales growth rates in November. Own brand manufacturers led the segment with sales of 392,249 units, representing year-on-year growth of 86.4%. Own brand models constituted 54.9% of all SUVs sold in November. American SUV sales grew 80.4% in November, with a total of 69,400 units sold, while Japanese SUV sales increased 49.2%, with 109,927 units sold.

Great Wall’s Haval H6 was the best-selling SUV in November. It was followed by the SAIC-GM-Wuling Baojun 560, GAC Trumpchi GS4, VW Tiguan, Buick Envision, Changan CS75, JAC Refine S3, Nissan X-Trail, Great Wall Haval H2 and BAIC S3. Seven of those models, including all of the top three, come from own brand manufacturers. The Haval H6 continues to the lead the charts with strong sales of 40,311 units, setting a new monthly sales record. Sales of the Haval H6 have increased 30.0% year-on-year. The Baojun 560 and Trumpchi GS4 also performed strongly, with sales of 31,228 units and 24,650 units, respectively.

The situation among sedan manufacturers was slightly different. Sales of German sedans grew a respectable 30.0%, totaling 338,728 units sold in November. Japanese and American sedan sales also posted double-digit growth rates, with respective sales of 229,616 units and 195,583 units over the course of the month. By comparison, own brand and Korean sedan sales suffered, decreasing 6.9% and 1.7% year-on-year.

The best-selling sedan of November was the VW Lavida, followed by the Nissan Bluebird Sylphy, Buick Excelle, VW Jetta, Hyundai Elantra, VW Sagitar, Toyota Corolla, Chevrolet Cruze, VW Santana and Ford Escort. Sales of the Lavida broke the 40,000 mark, with a total of 42,206 units sold over the course of the month, representing year-on-year growth of 46.5%. The most impressive sales growth figures came from the Santana, whose sales grew a full 95.1%.

Much like the SUV segment, own brands also led minivan sales. Minivan sales grew 91.0%, totaling 210,526 units. SAIC-GM-Wuling’s Hongguang was the best-selling minivan of the month, followed by the SAIC-GM-Wuling Baojun 730, BAIC Weiwang M20, Dongfeng Fengxing Lingzhi, Dongfeng Fengguang 330, Changan Honor, Dongfeng Fengguang 370, Buick GL8, JAC Refine and Honda Jade.

Six minivans this month have managed to break the 10,000 sales mark. Only two of those, the Buick GL8 and Honda Jade, came from foreign brands, while the rest were own brand models. The highest year-on-year growth rates were posted by the Fengxing Lingzhi, totaling 132.1%. It was followed by the Weiwang M20, whose sales totaled 91.9%. The Hongguang, which is gradually outdated, has seen its sales growth slide down to just 2.7%. By comparison, sales of the Baojun 730 and Changan Honor fell 16.9% and 20.8%, respectively.