Share

China car sales rev up

Shanghai - Auto sales in China rose nearly 50% in the first half of this year, with US giant General Motors taking the lead, according to industry data reported on Monday.

The data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers showed total sales in the first half at 1.8 million units, up 46.9% from the same period of 2005.

Shanghai GM, General Motors Corp's joint venture with state-owned Shanghai Automotive Industrial Corp, or SAIC, nudged aside former market leader FAW Volkswagen, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

Recent data have shown a continued revival in sales following a slump in early 2004. Vehicle sales rose 21% in 2005, up from 15% in 2004.

The report gave no sales figures for individual automakers. However, GM earlier reported that the its sales at Shanghai GM had jumped 49% year-on-year in the first half to 201,901, helped by the popularity of its best-selling sedan, the Excelle.

Next was Shanghai Volkswagen Co, Volkswagen AG's venture with SAIC, the Xinhua report said, followed by FAW Volkswagen, domestic maker Chery Automobile Co, Beijing Hyundai Motor Co, Tianjin FAW Toyota Automobile Co, Tianjin-FAW Xiali Automobile Co, local maker Geely Automobile Co, Guangzhou Honda Automobile Co and Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen Automobile Co, the report said.

The top 10 automakers accounted for 1.27 million units, or about 70% of total sales, it said.

According to earlier released data, GM and its joint ventures sold 453 832 vehicles in China in the January-June period, up 47% from first-half 2005.

Volkswagen reported its sales jumped 30% in the first half, to 345 375 vehicles.

Honda Automobile Co's China unit said on Monday that its auto sales rose 22% in the first half of this year to 143 519 units, from 117 751 units in January-June 2005.

Guangzhou Honda, a joint venture with Denway Motors Ltd, sold 123 512 autos in the first half, up 16% over a year earlier, the Japanese automaker said. Denway Motors is an investment holding company of state-owned Guangzhou Automobile Co, with shares traded in Hong Kong.

Honda's sales through its joint venture with Dongfeng Motor Group Co rose 73% to 20 007, the company said.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
19.00
-0.5%
Rand - Pound
23.95
-0.2%
Rand - Euro
20.50
-0.2%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.34
+0.1%
Rand - Yen
0.13
-0.5%
Platinum
895.30
-0.2%
Palladium
991.47
-1.0%
Gold
2,194.13
-0.0%
Silver
24.44
-0.8%
Brent Crude
86.09
-0.2%
Top 40
67,910
+0.3%
All Share
74,134
+0.3%
Resource 10
56,271
+1.1%
Industrial 25
103,558
+0.3%
Financial 15
16,498
-0.2%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders