Monthly sales performances of newly-released models entering the Chinese automotive market

New cars have been credited as the major driver of growth in the Chinese automotive industry as of late. Gasgoo.com (Chinese) has summarized the average monthly sales volumes of new models released since 2014. According to collected statistics, there are 24 newly-released models which have managed to achieve average monthly sales of 5,000 units, with the list being dominated by own brand models.

This trend has been driven by SAIC-GM-Wuling’s Baojun 730, which has managed to bedazzle the industry with impressive sales figures. In August 2014, its first month on the market, the Baojun 730 broke the 10,000 sales mark, achieving total sales of 12,006 units. In the second month it went on to break the 20,000 sales mark, before finally reaching a record high of 31,472 units sold that December. The Baojun 730’s monthly sales have averaged 25,284 units, leaving other new models in its wake. To illustrate this discrepancy, the Baojun 730’s average monthly sales are nearly double that of the second best-selling new own brand model, the JAC Refine S3. Although the Baojun 730 still trails behind SAIC-GM-Wuling’s hot-selling Hongguang, it has been able to post much more stable sales growth overall.

A slew of new own brand models have managed to post strong sales results. The third to sixth best-selling new models on the sales charts were all own brand SUVs: the JAC Refine S3, Changan CS75, Great Wall Haval H2 and BAIC S3. Each of these SUV models has managed to achieve monthly sales of over 10,000 units, benefiting from the undeniable popularity of the SUV segment in the country.

JAC’s Refine S3 debuted last August. In only its second month on market, the Refine S3 achieved sales of 6,103 units. That figure only continued to increase, shooting up to 15,004 units in November. Then next January, the Refine S3 achieved a monthly sales record of 20,190 sales. Although sales have declined since then, they have still managed to remain above the 10,000 units mark. The Refine S3’s monthly sales since its launch have averaged 12,909 units.

Changan Automobile has remained the leading own brand manufacturer when it comes to overall sales. This success has been attributed to sales of its CS75 and CS35. The newly-released CS75 has managed to obtain average monthly sales of 11,693 units since its launch.

Great Wall remains a stalwart among own brand manufacturers. Its Haval H6 is still leading the country’s SUV segment. Not to be outdone, its newly-released Haval H2 has managed to bring an average of 11,386 sales monthly since its launch. The Haval H1’s has achieved average monthly sales of 6,273 units since its launch.

The BAIC S3, which was released last September, has seen its sales increase on a continuous basis, reaching a record high of 16,414 units this January. Monthly sales of the BAIC S3 have averaged 11,030 units since its launch.

Other notable own brands include the GAC Trumpchi GS4 and BYD S7. Average monthly sales of the Trumpchi GS4 and S7 totaled 8,587 units and 8,142 units, respectively.

By comparison, only one new joint venture model, the New Ford Focus, has managed to achieve average monthly sales surpassing the 10,000 units mark. The New Focus has taken a lot of market share from its predecessor, which is being sold alongside it. Sales of the New Focus have increased rapidly since its launch, reaching a record high of 23,446 units in March. In its seven months on the market, average sales of the New Focus totaled 15,771 units.

The Toyota Levin’s performance has been very unstable. Although its monthly sales exceeded 10,000 units from September to December, sales have decreased to less than 5,000 units in the beginning of this year. However, sales once again exceed the 10,000 units mark in April. Average monthly sales of the Levin since its launch have totaled 9,829 units.

The Buick Envision’s average monthly sales of 9,504 units put it just behind the Levin. The Envision has managed to surprise many by achieving over 10,000 sales in just its third month on market. Although suffering a small drop early this year, sales of the Levin once again exceeded the 10,000 units mark in March.

The Honda Vezel’s monthly sales have achieved an average of 8,327 units since its launch in the fourth quarter of last year. Sales of the Vezel surpassed the 10,000 units mark in December. While sales fell to the 9,000 range from March to May, they once again surpassed the 10,000 units mark in June.

Other strong new JV models include the Hyundai ix25 and Honda XR-V. These two models have managed to capitalize on increasing Chinese consumer interest in small SUVs. The ix25 was launched last September, with average monthly sales of 7,262 units. Monthly sales of the XR-V have averaged at 7,211 units since its launch late last year, with the SUV breaking the 10,000 units mark this June.

New models which managed to achieve average monthly sales of at least 6,000 units include the Mazda3 Axela, Hyundai 9th Generation Sonata and Ford Edge. While monthly sales of the Mazda3 Axela have increased gradually, they have yet to pass the 10,000 units mark. The closest they came was in January, when monthly sales totaled 9,150 units. Monthly sales of the Mazda3 Axela have averaged 6,739 units. By comparison, the new generation Sonata, whose monthly sales averaged 6,528 units, have decreased gradually over the past few months. Sales of the Ford Edge averaged 6,132 units every month since its launch.

While new own brands models, and especially new own brand SUVs, have managed to perform exceptionally well, whether or not similar trends will be repeated over the coming years remains yet to be seen.