Related News
Rise in Chinese auto market slows to 6%
Print Edition
Growth in China’s auto market slowed to 6 percent in January, a third of the rate seen in December, partly weighed down by sluggish sales of commercial vehicles like trucks and buses.
The relatively slow growth in the world’s biggest auto market was also due to the weeklong Chinese New Year holiday, or Spring Festival, starting at the end of January that resulted in fewer working days compared with 2013, analysts said. Most dealers closed during the holiday, which fell in February last year.
The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers said yesterday that passenger vehicle sales increased 7 percent from a year earlier while commercial vehicle sales, which make up around 15 percent of the entire auto market, were virtually flat.
“Companies typically don’t invest much on commercial vehicles at the start of a year, and that was much more evident in January this year due to the timing of the Spring Festival,” said Wan Dong, analyst at Capital Securities.
The overall market grew 17.9 percent in December last year and ended 2013 with a growth rate of 13.9 percent.
CAAM last month said the auto market would likely grow 8-10 percent in 2014, echoing views from industry experts and analysts that this year would be another strong year for China’s auto market.
Foreign carmakers like General Motors Co, Ford Motor Co and Toyota Motor Corp reported double-digit growth in January, but some domestic players like Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd, posted sharp declines.
CAAM, whose members include China’s biggest automakers like SAIC Motor Corp and FAW Group, reiterated its opposition against any relaxation of foreign investment rules in the auto industry as indicated by several policy-makers.
The Ministry of Commerce told a media briefing in November that the government would likely relax foreign investment restrictions soon in areas including auto manufacturing.
Foreign ownership in a Chinese joint venture is now capped at 50 percent.
“If China relaxes foreign ownership rules, it would be devastating to China’s indigenous brands,” CAAM, one of China’s biggest industry bodies, said in a statement. “Chinese local brands would be killed in the cradle.”
China has required global automakers to form joint ventures to produce cars in the country.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
