BEIJING: China’s auto sales increased by 2.5 percent in September as compared to same period of last year. It is the slowest growth in 19 months due to sluggish sales of commercial vehicles such as trucks.
Vehicles sales totaled 1.98 million units last month, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM). Passenger vehicle sales surged 6.4 percent while commercial vehicle sales declined 16 percent.
During the first nine months of 2014, China’s vehicle sales increased by 7.0 percent from a year earlier.
CAAM expected the market will expand 8.3 percent this year as compared to last year’s 13.9 percent pace.
In September, Japanese carmakers Nissan Motor Co Ltd and Honda Motor Co Ltd both posted their third consecutive monthly decline in China sales, registering decreases of 20 percent and 23 percent respectively.
Nissan attributed the decline to sluggish sales of commercial vehicles and increased competition while Honda said dealers had been clearing inventory ahead of the launch of two new models later this year.
On the other hand, sales of German brands have continued to be robust. Premium carmaker BMW posted a 17.9 percent growth during the first nine months while Daimler AG’s Mercedes Benz said its China sales jumped 30.5 percent in September.
Volkswagen AG’s premium brand Audi posted a 13 percent increase in China sales in September.
