Although Chinese automobile sales continued to slip into August, the amount sales growth rates fell by improved somewhat from the previous month. According to statistics from Gasgoo.com (Chinese), a total of 1.37 million passenger automobiles were sold in China in the month of August. That figure is down 1.2% from last August.
FAW Volkswagen was the best performing automotive manufacturing enterprise in August in terms of passenger automobile sales. It was followed by Shanghai GM, Shanghai VW, SAIC-GM-Wuling, Dongfeng Nissan, Beijing Hyundai, Changan Automobile, Changan Ford, Great Wall and Dongfeng Peugeot Citroën. Six of those passenger automobile manufacturers reported negative year-on-year sales growth rates during the month.
Although the big three of FAW-VW, Shanghai GM and Shanghai VW all managed to post sales of over 10,000 passenger automobiles this month, they all suffered negative year-on-year sales growth. FAW-VW, Shanghai GM and Shanghai VW’s August passenger automobile sales totaled 130,921 units, 127,336 units and 125,997 units, down 12.9%, 2.5% and 3.1% from sales growth figures a year ago, respectively.
Two own brand manufacturers made the sales charts this month: Changan and Great Wall. Both posted fairly strong performances, with their passenger automobile sales increasing 15.7% and 25.1% to 58,562 units and 51,863 units, respectively.
Dongfeng Nissan was the only Japanese-affiliated automotive manufacturer to sell enough passenger automobiles to make August’s top ten. Dongfeng Nissan sold a total of 73,714 passenger automobiles this August, up 9.7% from last year.
SAIC-GM-Wuling also managed to achieve positive sales growth, with its sales increasing 18.1% to 85,650 units.
Beijing Hyundai, Changan Ford and Dongfeng Peugeot Citroën all saw their sales decrease in August. The three joint ventures posted monthly passenger automobile sales of 70,146 units, 53,975 units and 46,016 units, representing respective negative year-on-year growth rates of 16.5%, 10.9% and 17.3%.
