Light-vehicle sales rise 8.7% in first 2 months on strong SUV, MPV demand
China's light-vehicle deliveries rose 8.7 percent year on year to 3.4 million vehicles in the first two months of the year, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.
Industry sales got a boost from strong demand for SUVs and multipurpose vehicles. Through the first two months, SUV sales surged 46 percent to 818,100 vehicles, while MPV deliveries jumped 17 percent to 383,500.
Sedan sales remained virtually unchanged from a year earlier at 2 million. But microvan deliveries plunged 18 percent to 202,200 as consumers migrated to bigger vehicles.
This year, China's Lunar New Year holiday was Feb. 18-24. With fewer working days, light-vehicle sales for the month rose 6 percent year on year to 1.4 million.
Because the Lunar New Year holiday sometimes is held in January, analysts typically combine vehicle sales for the first two months.
China's light-vehicle sales this year will increase 8 percent from 2014 to about 21,250,000, the association predicted in January.
Sedan sales remained virtually unchanged from a year earlier at 2 million. But microvan deliveries plunged 18 percent to 202,200 as consumers migrated to bigger vehicles.
This year, China's Lunar New Year holiday was Feb. 18-24. With fewer working days, light-vehicle sales for the month rose 6 percent year on year to 1.4 million.
Because the Lunar New Year holiday sometimes is held in January, analysts typically combine vehicle sales for the first two months.
China's light-vehicle sales this year will increase 8 percent from 2014 to about 21,250,000, the association predicted in January.
