Profile of China's automotive industry in Q1 2012

Following is a profile ofChina's automotive industry in the first quarter of 2012:

-- Overview

Chinasold 4.79 million motor vehicles in the first quarter of this year, a drop of 3.40 percent year on year, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM).

China’s auto output totaled 4.78 million units in January to March, down 1.83 percent over the corresponding period of last year.

The monthly auto output and sales in March reached 1.88 million units and 1.84 million units respectively, up 3.38 percent and 1.02 percent year on year.

The following table specifiesChina’s auto sales in March and the first quarter of 2012, based on the CAAM data: 

       Table 1:China’s auto sales in March and in the first quarter of 2012

Here is another table specifyingChina’s March and Q1 auto output.

Table 2:China’s auto output in March and in the first quarter of 2012

The following chart showsChina’s monthly auto output and sales since January 2011 (in unit):

Here is another chart showingChina’s auto sales since January 2011 (in unit):

Chinaexported some 191,300 motor vehicles in the first three months of this year, a surge of 20.8 percent year on year.

China’s monthly auto exports reached 72,100 units in March, up 17.7 percent from February 2012 and 14.3 percent from March 2011.    

-- Passenger vehicles

China’s passenger vehicle sales maintained steady growth in March. Some 1.4 million sedans, multi-purpose vehicles (MPV), sports-utility vehicles (SUV) and crossovers were sold nationwide in the month, up 4.54 percent from a year earlier and 15.40 percent from the preceding month.

Output in the same month gained 15.40 percent month on month and 5.87 percent year on year to 1.46 million units.

The country’s passenger vehicle sales totaled 3.774 million units in the first three months of this year, a drop of 1.25 percent year on year, while the output in the same period gained 1.10 percent on year to 3.771 million units.

The following table shows the sales of major sub-type passenger vehicles in March and in the first three months of 2012:

The following is a table showing the output of major sub-type passenger vehicles in March and in the first three months of 2012:

The following chart showsChina’s monthly passenger vehicle sales since January 2011 (in unit):

Here is another chart showingChina’s monthly passenger vehicle output since January 2011 (in unit):

China’s sales of passenger vehicles under homegrown brands decreased 8.10 percent year on year to 1,617,800 units in the first quarter of this year.

Sales of such vehicles accounted for 42.87 percent ofChina’s total passenger vehicle sales in January to March, down 3.19 percentage points from the corresponding period of 2010.

Sales of Japanese, German, American, South Korean, and French-brand passenger vehicles stood at 707,000, 625,700, 419,500, 294,800, and 108,900 units respectively in the January-March period, as is shown in Chart 6: