BANGKOK — Car sales in China China’s Automobile Manufacturers Association reported Friday that exports rose about 20% as manufacturers of electric vehicles expanded to global markets.
Passenger car sales totaled about 2 million units, of which about 1.6 million were sold in China, a year-on-year decline of 10%. Total passenger car exports rose by more than 20% to 399,000 units.
More than half of all vehicles sold were so-called ‘new energy vehicles’, i.e. electric and plug-in hybrids.
Chinese automakers have stepped up vehicle exports as demand in their home markets lagged and the US and the European Union have raised tariffs because they say government subsidies offered by Beijing give Chinese automakers an unfair advantage.
Ministry of Commerce of China said friday that it is the provisional rates which were imposed on the World Trade Organization’s dispute settlement mechanism in early July.
“The EU’s interim ruling lacks any factual and legal basis, seriously violates WTO rules and undermines the overall situation of global cooperation in addressing Climate change“, the ministry said in a statement on its website.
“We urge the EU to immediately correct its wrong practices and jointly maintain the stability of China-EU economic and trade cooperation and the supply chain of the electric vehicle industry,” the report said.
To boost demand and counter slowing economic growth, while promoting cleaner transportation, China has expanded incentives to encourage motorists trade in their older, gas and diesel powered cars and buy Electric vehicles.
While overall auto sales remained subdued, sales of electric vehicles rose nearly 30% year-on-year in July to about 991,000. Of that total, 887,000 were sold in China and 103,000 were exported.
Sales of foreign automakers have stagnated or declined this year, reflecting intense price competition in an oversaturated market.
The share of car sales Chinese automakers’ sales have grown rapidly, accounting for two-thirds of all vehicles sold in July, with sales of their vehicles up 10%, the report said.
Most vehicles sold in China in January-July were priced between 100,000 and 150,000 yuan (about $14,000-$20,500), the industry association said. The bulk of EVs sold were priced between 150,000 and 200,000 yuan ($20,500-$28,000).
The Chinese companies Chery Automobile, SAIC Motor and Yellowish Auto Group still exports more vehicles, most of which are conventional combustion engines, than electric vehicle manufacturers such as by D And Tesla. But the latter are quickly gaining popularity in the market. BYD exported 31,000 EVs and hybrids in July, while Tesla’s According to the report, exports totaled 28,000.
In the first seven months of the year, by D 2.38 million electric cars exported, compared to 1.76 million for Tesla, the company said.
The lion’s share of China’s auto exports this year went to Russia, the report said, citing customs figures. Russia imported 478,000 Chinese-made vehicles in the first half of the year, almost all with conventional combustion engines. Mexico imported the second most, with 226,000, followed by Brazil, with 171,000.
The source of the data in this story has been corrected: the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.