Production of automobiles in China reached 2.38mn, up 34.6pc from the previous year, but down 15.9pc from the previous month. Sales in January was reported at 2,503mn units, up 29.5pc from 2020 and down 11.6pc from the December. Data was released by China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) on Feb 9.
Production and sales have continued to increase but January last year was a rather weak year in terms of production amid Chinese New Year holidays. In 2021, holidays are in February. There is a persistent problem of shortage of automotive chips which has caused hindrances on the production front and has resulted in a rapid decline in both production and sales compared to previous month.
Passenger Vehicles
Production of passenger vehicles was reported at 1.91mn, up 32.4pc from the previous year and down 18.1pc from the prior month. Sales of passenger vehicles came up to 2.04mn units, up 26.8pc from 2020, down 13.9pc from the December levels.
Commercial Vehicles
In January, the production and sales of heavy trucks improved swiftly compared to the previous month, light trucks and medium trucks decreased slightly, and the production and sales of mini trucks all declined significantly.
Electric Vehicles
The production and sales of electric vehicles declined from the previous month but showed rapid growth from the previous year after reaching 194,000 units produced and 179,000 units sold. Production decrease of 17.8pc from December and sales dipped 27.8pc down. Production and sales of electric vehicles grew year-on-year by 2.9 times and 2.4 times, respectively.
Auto Companies
In January, the top 10 automobile companies sold a total of 2.251mn vehicles, accounting for 89.9pc of total automobile sales. Sales of SAIC, Dongfeng, Great Wall, and Chery declined compared to December, while other companies showed growth.
Exports
In January, auto manufacturers exported 119,000 vehicles, down 17.6pc from the previous month and up 73pc from 2020. January 2020 exports hit a new monthly record. Exports of passenger vehicles stood at 91,000 units, down 21.5pc from December and up 76.9pc from 2020. Commercial vehicle exports were 28,000 units, down 1.7pc month-on-month and up 61.7pc year-on-year.