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China’s SUV Sales Up Almost 59% Year-to-Date
28 November 2007
People’s Daily. Sales of SUVs in China rose 58.6% year-on-year for the first 10 months of 2007 to 302,846 units, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.
Great Wall Motor, the first privately-owned auto company on the Chinese mainland to be listed in Hong Kong, ranked first with SUV sales of 53,063 units, according to the association.
Other companies producing SUVs include Chery Auto, Hyundai Tucson and Dongfeng Honda.
November 28, 2007 in Brief | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBack (0)
Comments
Posted by: | November 28, 2007 at 03:26 AM
I've never driven in China, but 25 years ago I lived in Mexico. I knew people who bought SUVs (Jeep Cherokee) because the roads were bad, and they needed the ground clearance. I drove a VW Caribe (think Rabbit or Golf), and on a rainy night busted the transmission housing on some rocks that were stacked in the middle of the road to mark a hole being dug for some kind of repair. No lights, no cones, ... no warning. Hey, the workers probably had never driven a car, so they didn't have a clue.
The older VW Beetle was great for bad roads, and kept its popularity way after it died in the US and Europe. Developing countries need a modern version of the bug -- reliable and rugged, but better environmentally.
Posted by: JamesEE | November 28, 2007 at 09:37 AM
@Anon
There ain't enough oil in the world for that.
It's sad that the Chinese are making all of the same mistakes and they have hind site in their favour. How often does one get that?
Posted by: Tripp | November 28, 2007 at 09:17 PM
I'm very much anti-SUV, but I've come to the realization that whether it's vanity, or need for an off-road vehicle, the bottomline is that when people have extra cash in the pocket (ie. China's new middle class), then excesses like SUVs and Luxury cars will always have a market.
I think it matters little on price of gas or if demand will surpass supply, as long as fuel expenditures are still "affordable" by the middle class, sales of SUV and trucks will probably continue to do well.
Posted by: Charles S | November 29, 2007 at 08:51 AM
After China gets fat will they stop having babies?
Posted by: sulleny | November 30, 2007 at 06:53 PM
"God help us all if SUVs become as popular in China as they are in the US."
Why should He?
Posted by: sulleny | November 30, 2007 at 06:55 PM
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God help us all if SUVs become as popular in China as they are in the US.