Chinese auto market is fated to experience an unusual year in 2019 with the downward trajectory lasting up until now.
For the first half of the year, Chinese auto sales and outputs reached 12,323,000 units and 12,132,000 units, sliding 12.4% and 13.7% respectively from the previous year, according to the data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM).
The overall flagging market climate unavoidably influenced the sale and profit performances of Chinese automakers. According to figures released by ten Chinese OEMs and compiled by Gasgoo, only four companies gained year-on-year growth in first-half revenue. Except BYD, the other nine all suffered downturn in net profit.
Here and now Gasgoo rounded up the revenue and profit reported by the ten OEMs to see who is weaker or stronger during the tough days.
SAIC Motor
According to the semi-annual report, SAIC Motor's revenue for the first six months slide 19.52% from the previous year to RMB367.916 billion, while its shareholders' net profit slumped 27.49% to RMB13.764 billion.
Facing the strong headwinds from the cooling market climate, the company is striving to foster new driving forces. During the first two quarters, SAIC Motor sold roughly 82,000 NEVs, achieving a surge of 42% over the prior-year. Sales volumes of vehicles exported and sold in overseas markets grew 11.5% to 145,000 units.
But the remarkable increase in NEV and export businesses still failed to offset the downturn in domestic fuel-burning vehicle sector partially due to the higher base number for the first half of 2018 and the emission standard switch.
The complete vehicle sales volume for the first half were down by 16.6% to 2.937 million units, of which PV and CV sales volume reached 2.538 million units (-17.6%) and 399,000 units (-9.6%) respectively, said SAIC Motor.
BAIC Motor
BAIC Motor reported a year-on-year jump of 14.1% in the first-half revenue, while its semi-annual net profit slumped 25.9% from a year ago.
The automakers said the revenue growth was mainly attributed to the increase in the revenue of Beijing Benz and Beijing Brand.
In the first half of 2019, the revenue related to Beijing Benz and Beijing Brand rose 10.8% and 49% over the previous year to RMB77,807.4 million and RMB9,956.6 million.
The decline in BAIC Motor's net profit attributable to shareholders were primarily caused by the reduction in profits of Beijing Hyundai and relevant supporting companies arising out of intensified competition in China's PV industry and the overall market downturn of Korean-brand vehicles.
BYD
BYD announced that its first-half net profit attributable to stake holders of the public company surge 203.61% over a year ago to RMB1,454,573,000. Semi-annual revenue rose 14.84% to RMB62,184,263,000.
Of that, the revenue from the company's automobile-related business climbed 16.27% from the year ago to RMB33.982 billion. For the first half of 2019, the Shenzhen-based automaker sold a total of 228,072 vehicles, a slight year-on-year increase of 1.59%.
The general NEV upward impetus in China positively impinged on the NEV business of BYD. For the first six months, the company saw its NEV sales volume remarkably jump 94.5% to 145,653 units, despite a sharp decrease in first-half sales volume of fuel-burning vehicles.
During the reporting date, BYD's income of NEV business leapt 38.77% from the year-ago period to RMB25.448 billion with its percentage of the company's total businesses rising to 40.92%.
Geely Automobile
Geely Automobile Holdings Limited said its semi-annual net profit attributable to equity holders plunged 40% over the previous year to RMB4,009,475,000.
The performance in the first half of 2019 was below the management's expectation, Geely said. During this period, the automaker sold a total of 651,680 vehicles (including the sales volume of the Lynk & Co-branded vehicles), representing a 15% decline from the year-ago period.
Total revenue (excluding the revenue of the Lynk & Co JV) for the first six months fell 11% to RMB47,558,617,000 as continued product lineup improvement more than counteract the pricing pressure caused by weak demand and fierce market climate.
The company's interim report showed that the first-half revenue from the sales of automobiles reached RMB44,979,288,000, sliding 14.83% from the previous year, while the revenue from the sales of auto parts soared 139.25% to RMB2,151,102,000.
Great Wall Motors
Great Wall Motors (GWM)'s first-half net profit slumped 58.95% year on year after offering discounts, intensifying brand promotion and increasing R&D cost.
Meanwhile, its total operating revenue during the reporting period slid 15% over a year ago to roughly RMB41.377 billion.
For the first six months, GWM got a sales volume of 460,300 vehicles. Of that, sales volume of SUV amounted to 358,900 units, thus enabling itself to maintain its leading position in the domestic SUV market.
Revenue from the sale of automobiles in the domestic market reached RMB34,407,119,485.82, representing approximately 85.34% of the Group’s operating revenue.
For the first two quarters, Chinese automakers' export performance was somewhat affected by such factors as overseas economic fluctuations and Sino-US trade frictions.
However, GWM still saw its first-half auto exports in overseas markets jump 16.77% to around 26,000 units. The revenue generated from the export business reached RMB1,993,679,169.49, accounting for approximately 4.95 % of the group's operating revenue.
Changan Automobile
Changan Automobile said its first-half revenue dropped 16.18% over the prior-year to RMB29.876 billion, while it posted a loss in shareholders' net profit of RMB2.24 billion, a year-on-year plunge of 239.17%.
The sales slump was primarily blamed for its sharply sliding net profit. For the first half of 2019, the automaker saw its cumulative auto sales volume dip 31.7% from the previous year to 825,208 units with its all subsidiaries hit by decrease.
Negative growth in sales volume also impinged on net profits of subsidiaries and joint ventures. Changan Ford got a profit loss up to RMB776.89 million, a steep decline of 56% compared with the first-half 2018. Moreover, Changan Suzuki and Jiangling Holding posted net profit loss of RMB245.76 million and RMB472.83 million respectively.
Operating revenue from the automobile manufacturing business totaled RMB29.101 billion, shrinking 15.51% from a year ago. Gross margin of the sector reached at 7.67%, down by 4.73 percentage points over the previous year.
GAC Group
For the first six months, GAC Group's revenue amounted to RMB28.123 billion, showing a decrease of 23.38% from the year-ago period mainly due to the prolonged downturn in China's overall auto sales and outputs, domestic policy adjustment and the sales volume decline in its self-owned brand Trumpchi.
Besides, semi-annual net profit attributable to shareholders substantially slid 28.85% to RMB4.919 billion. Basic earnings per share for the reporting period were roughly RMB0.48, down by 29.41% over the year ago period.
GAC Group sold 999,560 vehicles through June with a slight year-on-year drop of 1.69%, outpacing the overall auto market which posted a 12.4% decrease in first-half sales.
Two Sino-Japanese joint ventures—GAC Honda and GAC Toyota—are major sales contributors for the group's stable performance. Both of them obtained double-digit increase in Jan.-Jun. sales volume.
The group's wholly-owned GAC Motor attained an impressive growth of 18.92% in June sales after five consecutive months of decline.
JAC Motors
JAC Motors saw its semi-annual revenue rise 13.88% to around RMB27 billion, but cumulative net profit fell 23.46% from a year ago to only RMB0.125 billion, the third time in a row presenting negative in first-half profit.
The Hefei-based automaker reported a 40.31% year-on-year plunge in interim shareholders' net profit in 2017 and then the decrease was widened to 52.58% for the same period of 2018.
Its auto sales volume for the first six months of 2019 also dropped 6.78% from the year-ago period to RMB235,155 units.
Apart from the reduction in sales volume, JAC Motors faces a fine of RMB170 million for emissions fraud, which directly slashed its net profit as well. Besides, the product homogeneity and lack of core competitiveness are also the challenges the automaker is confronting now.
Dongfeng Autombile
Like JAC Motors, Dongfeng Automobile Co., Ltd. (DFAC), a 60%-owned subsidiary of Dongfeng Motor Company Limited, also achieved growth in first-half revenue, while posted downturn in net profit.
There are three types of industrial risks ahead of DFAC's future development, said DFCA.
Automakers are urged to further improve vehicle technologies and strengthen cost control due to the increasingly strict emission regulation, which will impinge on the market growth and earnings. Thus, DFCA will roll out more models that meet the China Ⅵ Emission standard to seize market shares.
Moreover, DFCA is also confronted with intensified competition in light-duty commercial vehicle sector and the threat in new energy vehicle business caused by the NEV subsidy phase-out.
Zotye Auto
Both semi-annual revenue and net profit of Zotye Auto showed year-over-year slump of over 50%.
To accommodate itself to the trend of automobile intelligence, connectivity, electrification and sharing, the automaker has been intensively investing in new products, new technologies and new businesses to lift its product competitiveness, Zotye Auto gave the explanation for its profit loss.
What's more, to cope with the intensified market rivalry resulting from the participation of startups and the discounts offered by traditional OEMs, the carmaker increased expenses in sales promotion and adjusted its marketing structure, thus also partially leading to the profit loss.
