According to the data released by corresponding automakers and the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA), Gasgoo summarizes major luxury vehicle brands’ China sales in May as below. Mercedez-Benz, Audi and BMW undoubtedly occupied the top 3 places on the list by China sales in May. About half of car brands faced year-on-year sales drop probably because of the import auto tariff reduction policy announced on May 22. Lexus, who were delivered in China merely as imported car, encountered a year-on-year plunge in terms of May sales. However, some brands, like Audi and Cadillac, were rarely affected by the tariff reduction policy likely by reason of the sales of imported cars taking up rather small proportion of their total sales.
Mercedez-Benz
Last month, Mercedez-Benz delivered a total of 56,066 vehicles in China with a year-on-year growth of 12.1%, maintaining the championship by monthly sales in China. The May sales of the C-Class and E-Class sedan models all achieved year-on-year growth topping 20%.
Audi
It seems that the import vehicle tariff cut policy seldom influenced Audi’s sales performance in China because the sales of locally-produced models occupied over 80% of the totals. In May, Audi accomplished a year-on-year growth of 7.7% with 51,732 vehicles handed over in China. The monthly sales of the A6L, A4L and Audi Q5 all exceeded 10 thousand units in the biggest auto market. In the near future, Audi plans to launch its first elongated SUV model, the Audi Q5L, which is expected to further drive the sales.
BMW
Unlike the other two German luxury vehicle brands, BMW’s China sales dropped 10.1% from a year ago to 45,860 units. Analysts said that its sales decline may result from the adjustment in its plants’ production capacity. The automaker has recently been revamping and upgrading its vehicle plants in China to locally produce the BMW X3, which is planned to go on sale in July this year.
Cadillac
Positioned as a second-tier premium car brand, Cadillac saw its cumulative sales from January to May almost reaching 100 thousand units, surging 45.5% over the previous year. Thanks to the rather small proportion of imported vehicles, Cadillac’s China sales were rarely affected by the tariff reduction announcement. Reportedly, the locally-produced Cadillac SUV XT4 will hit the market in August.
Volvo
Thanks to the robust performance of the XC60 and S90, Volvo surpassed Jaguar Land Rover and Lexus in monthly China sales, achieving a year-on-year growth of 8.2%. The automaker’s monthly sales have exceeded 10 thousand units for three consecutive months. In the second half of this year, the high-profile compact SUV model, the XC40, will hit China’s market as an imported model.
Jaguar Land Rover
Possibly affected by the imported tariff slash policy, Jaguar Land Rover saw a year-on-year sales decrease of 8.1% with 3,482 units of Jaguar-branded cars and 7,041 units of Land Rover cars delivered in May. In the second half of 2018, Jaguar will launch its first China-made compact SUV model, the Jaguar E-PACE.
Lexus
Last month, Lexus’s monthly sales in China plunged 35% from the year-ago period. It seems that the tariff reduction policy had a rather big negative impact on the automaker’s sales performance.
Lincoln
Ford’s Lincoln brand delivered 3,701 vehicles in China last month, seeing a year-on-year drop of 3%. However, thanks to the great demands for large-sized premium sedan and SUV models, the sales of the Lincoln Continental and the Navigator in May jumped 12% and 87% from the previous year respectively.
Infiniti
Infiniti suffered year-on-year decline in both May sales and the cumulative sales. Reportedly, the Japanese brand plans to roll out 6 new models successively in 2018, including the locally-produced new Q50L and the all-new QX50, which has already hit the market this month.
DS
According to the data released by the CPCA, for the first five months, DS’ average monthly sales in China were only around 300 units. Apart from the DS7, whose May sales were over 500 units, the other models all witnessed their monthly sales sliding below 100 units.
