Light-vehicle sales jump 16% in November
China's passenger-vehicle deliveries rose 16 percent in November as Japanese automakers extended their sales recovery for a third straight month.
Wholesale deliveries of cars, MPVs and SUVs climbed to 1.7 million units last month, the state-backed China Association of Automobile Manufacturers said Tuesday.
Sales at Toyota Motor Corp., Nissan Motor Co. and Honda Motor Co. surged as Chinese consumers shrugged off renewed diplomatic tensions between Asia's two-largest powers.
That's in contrast to last year, when Japanese automakers were hurt by consumer boycotts against Japanese products in the wake of a territorial dispute over a group of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea.
"The Japanese have been introducing more new models, especially lower-priced ones, which has made them very competitive," said Harry Chen, a Shenzhen, China-based analyst at Guotai Junan Securities Co. "That has helped their recovery momentum."
Honda benefited from the recent introduction of its Crider and Jade sedans, while Toyota's overhauled Vios has also been popular, Chen said.
Old dispute
The decades-long dispute was reignited last month after China created an air defense area covering the islands, known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China.
But the simmering dispute did not ignite a fresh wave of boycotts, and now Honda and Toyota are headed for record sales in 2013.
Industrywide, total sales of vehicles -- including buses and trucks -- reached 19.9 million units this year through November.
China's total vehicle sales should exceed 21 million units this year, according to Dong Yang, secretary general of the auto association.
Ford Motor Co.'s Focus was the best-selling sedan last month, with Great Wall Motor Co.'s Haval line remaining the nation's top-selling SUV.
General Motors, the largest foreign automaker in China last year, reported a 13 percent gain in November sales and the company has said it will deliver 3 million vehicles in China this year by the middle of this month.
Sales at Toyota Motor Corp., Nissan Motor Co. and Honda Motor Co. surged as Chinese consumers shrugged off renewed diplomatic tensions between Asia's two-largest powers.
That's in contrast to last year, when Japanese automakers were hurt by consumer boycotts against Japanese products in the wake of a territorial dispute over a group of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea.
"The Japanese have been introducing more new models, especially lower-priced ones, which has made them very competitive," said Harry Chen, a Shenzhen, China-based analyst at Guotai Junan Securities Co. "That has helped their recovery momentum."
Honda benefited from the recent introduction of its Crider and Jade sedans, while Toyota's overhauled Vios has also been popular, Chen said.
Old dispute
The decades-long dispute was reignited last month after China created an air defense area covering the islands, known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China.
But the simmering dispute did not ignite a fresh wave of boycotts, and now Honda and Toyota are headed for record sales in 2013.
Industrywide, total sales of vehicles -- including buses and trucks -- reached 19.9 million units this year through November.
China's total vehicle sales should exceed 21 million units this year, according to Dong Yang, secretary general of the auto association.
Ford Motor Co.'s Focus was the best-selling sedan last month, with Great Wall Motor Co.'s Haval line remaining the nation's top-selling SUV.
General Motors, the largest foreign automaker in China last year, reported a 13 percent gain in November sales and the company has said it will deliver 3 million vehicles in China this year by the middle of this month.
