October 2012 automotive industry economic operation information conference release

author：开云（中国）kaiyun·官方网页版newstime：2012-11-14

According to the statistical analysis by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, in October 2012, automobile production and sales slightly decreased month-on-month but showed a slight increase year-on-year. The detailed analysis is as follows:

1. Automobile production and sales declined month-on-month but increased year-on-year

In October, automobile production and sales were generally stable, with a certain degree of decline compared to the previous month but an increase compared to the same period last year. This month, automobile production and sales were 1.587 million units and 1.606 million units, respectively, down 4.5% and 0.7% month-on-month, and up 1.1% and 5.3% year-on-year. From January to October, automobile production and sales totaled 15.7201 million units and 15.7007 million units, respectively, up 4.6% and 3.6% year-on-year. The production growth rate fell by 0.4 percentage points compared to January-September, while the sales growth rate increased by 0.2 percentage points compared to January-September.

Based on the completion and growth rate in October, sales performed better than production, and industry enterprises maintained a cautious attitude towards the current situation.

2. Passenger car production and sales declined month-on-month but increased year-on-year

In October, passenger car production and sales decreased compared to the previous month but showed a certain degree of growth year-on-year, with sales performance being more prominent, increasing by more than 6%. The cumulative production growth rate from January to October fell by 0.7 percentage points compared to January-September, while the cumulative sales growth rate remained basically the same as January-September.

In October, passenger car production and sales were 1.2802 million units and 1.2989 million units, respectively, down 5.4% and 1.3% month-on-month, and up 1.5% and 6.4% year-on-year. Among different models, only crossover passenger cars performed better than the previous month in terms of production. Compared to the same period last year, multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs) were the only declining model, with a decrease close to 20%. In terms of sales, sedans and sports utility vehicles (SUVs) were lower than the previous month, while MPVs and crossover passenger cars increased. Compared to the same period last year, MPVs decreased by 7.1%, while other models showed significant growth.

From January to October, passenger car production and sales totaled 12.6495 million units and 12.5711 million units, respectively, up 7.7% and 6.9% year-on-year.

3. Commercial vehicle production decreased, while sales increased

Monthly production and sales data for this year show that commercial vehicles continued to decline in the first half of the year, but the market demand for commercial vehicles showed signs of stabilization in October, with cumulative production and sales growth rates continuing to narrow.

In October, commercial vehicle production and sales were 306,800 units and 307,100 units, respectively, with production decreasing by 0.5% compared to the previous month and the same period last year. Sales increased by 1.6% compared to the previous month and 1% compared to the same period last year. Among different commercial vehicle models, bus production exceeded the previous month and the same period last year, with sales decreasing by 10.8% compared to the previous month and increasing by 1.4% compared to the same period last year. Production and sales of bus incomplete vehicles were lower than the previous month and the same period last year. Truck production and sales performed well, exceeding both the previous month and the same period last year. Only sales of truck incomplete vehicles were higher than the previous month. Although semi-trailer tractors still showed a decrease of more than 30% compared to the same period last year, their production and sales growth rates compared to the previous month reached 18% and 19%, respectively, showing a trend of gradual recovery.

From January to October, commercial vehicle production and sales totaled 3.0706 million units and 3.1296 million units, respectively, down 6.6% and 8% year-on-year. The decline rates were 0.5 and 0.8 percentage points narrower than January-September.

4. Domestic brand passenger cars continued to perform well

In October, domestic brand passenger car sales reached 585,600 units, up 4.2% from the previous month and 17.5% from the same period last year, accounting for 45.1% of total passenger car sales. This was the highest market share this year, up 2.4 percentage points from the previous month and 4.3 percentage points from the same period last year.

From January to October, domestic brand passenger car sales totaled 5.1578 million units, up 4.1% year-on-year, which was 2.8 percentage points lower than the overall growth rate of passenger cars. This accounted for 41% of total passenger car sales, down 1.1 percentage points from the same period last year, with the decline rate further narrowing.

In October, domestic brand sedan sales reached 283,200 units, up 0.8% from the previous month and 14.9% from the same period last year, accounting for 31.3% of total sedan sales. This market share was up 1 percentage point from the previous month and 2.6 percentage points from the same period last year.

From January to October, domestic brand sedan sales totaled 2.3813 million units, down 0.7% year-on-year, accounting for 27.3% of total sedan sales, with the market share down 1.8 percentage points from the same period last year.

In October, compared to the previous month, sales of major foreign brand passenger cars showed significant growth for German brands, with an increase of 10.6%. Japanese, American, Korean, and French brands were lower than the previous month, with Japanese brands showing the largest decline of 38.2%. Compared to the same period last year, Japanese brands decreased by 59.4%, with the decline rate expanding from September. German, American, Korean, and French brands all grew by more than 20%, with German brands exceeding 30%.

In October, compared to the previous month, sales of major foreign brand sedans showed a decrease of 33.7% for Japanese brands, 2.8% for American brands, 2% for Korean brands, and 0.5% for French brands, while German brands grew by 9.2%. Compared to the same period last year, Japanese brands decreased by 55.2%, while German, American, Korean, and French brands grew by 31.7%, 18%, 21.6%, and 26.9%, respectively.

This month, sales of Japanese brand passenger cars decreased more significantly, totaling 98,900 units, accounting for 7.6% of total passenger car sales. This market share was down 4.6 percentage points from the previous month and 12.3 percentage points from the same period last year.

From January to October, compared to the same period last year, sales of major foreign brand passenger cars showed a decrease of 4.2% for Japanese brands, while German, American, Korean, and French brands all showed positive growth, with German brands growing by 21.8%. The cumulative market shares of Japanese, German, American, Korean, and French brand passenger cars from January to October were 17.1%, 18.9%, 11.6%, 8.4%, and 2.8%, respectively.

From January to October, compared to the same period last year, sales of major foreign brand sedans showed growth rates exceeding 10% for German, American, and Korean brands, with relatively good performance. French brands grew by 9.2%, while Japanese brands decreased by 5.5%. The cumulative market shares of Japanese, German, American, Korean, and French brand sedans from January to October were 19.1%, 23.8%, 16%, 9.6%, and 4.1%, respectively.

5. Automobile exports maintained a rapid growth rate year-on-year

According to the export data of complete vehicle enterprises compiled by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, automobile exports in October fell compared to the previous month but maintained a rapid growth rate year-on-year. In October, automobile exports were 86,700 units, down 21.1% from the previous month and up 24.4% year-on-year. From January to October, exports totaled 871,400 units, up 27.5% year-on-year, with the annual total expected to exceed 1 million units. The top five exporting enterprises from January to October were Chery, Geely, SAIC, Great Wall, and Dongfeng, with Geely rising from fourth place in January-September to second place.

According to customs data compiled by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, from January to September, the total import and export value of automobile commodities was $116.934 billion, up 12.9% year-on-year, with imports amounting to $61.168 billion, up 14.5% year-on-year, and exports amounting to $55.766 billion, up 11.2% year-on-year.

From January to September, a total of 900,900 units of various automobiles were imported, up 23.6% year-on-year, with an import value of $38.154 billion, up 26.1% year-on-year. Among them, sedan imports were 362,100 units, up 21.6% year-on-year; off-road vehicle imports were 353,300