Foreign auto giants enjoyed booming sales in China last year
while markets remained sluggish in the United States, Europe and
Japan.
The world's second largest automaker, Toyota, said on Wednesday
its sales on the Chinese mainland surged 68 percent year-on-year to
308,000 vehicles in 2006.
Toyota's market performance was certainly better in China than
in any other country last year though global figures were still
unavailable, said Yang Hongjian, public relations manager with
Toyota China.
The world's largest manufacturer, General Motors, sold 876,700
vehicles on the mainland last year, up 31.8 percent over the
previous year, raising its market share by 0.6 percentage points to
11.8 percent, larger than that of any other foreign producer.
General Motors China's president and managing director Kevin
Wale has said his company would invest an annual average of one
billion US dollars over the next three years to maintain
double-digit growth in its market share.
With declining sales in North America, US automaker Ford has
said its sales jumped 86.6 percent in China last year to a record
166,722 vehicles.
China would account for 50 percent of global market growth in
coming years and was considered by Ford to be an important base for
supply, research and development, said Cheng Meiwei, Ford China
president and chief executive officer.
Sales doubled for Chang'an Ford Mazda Corporation, making the
Chongqing-based joint venture one of the fastest growing automakers
in China.
Sales of luxury brands under Ford -- including Jaguar, Land
Rover and Volvo -- surged 60 percent to a total of 10,914
vehicles.
German automakers also reported good news, with sales of
Volkswagen AG up 24.3 percent to 711,000 vehicles and sales of its
luxury brand Audi up 39 percent to a record 80,000.
Volkswagen has lost its 50-percent share of the Chinese market
for sedans due to increased competition from multinational auto
giants.
Meanwhile, BMW sold 36,357 cars in China last year, up 51.3
percent, while DaimlerChrysler's Mercedes-Benz division sold
21,20O, up 32 percent.
Almost all the multinational auto giants have set up joint
ventures in China, in the scramble for a share in the booming
market.
China overtook Japan to become the world's second largest market
for new vehicles in 2006 after the United States, registering sales
of 7.22 million vehicles, up 25.13 percent year-on-year.
In contrast, the European market for new vehicles rose only
0.7percent and the U.S. and Japanese markets were shrinking.
(Xinhua News Agency January 18, 2007)