In 2022, overall vehicle sales in China amounted to almost 26.9 million units, an increase of 2.1 percent compared to the previous year. For the second year in a row, sales in 2022 showed an upward trend.
Vehicle sales growth in China
With a sales volume of approximately 26.9 million motor vehicles, China was the worlds’ largest market for automobiles. Vis-à-vis U.S. car market in 2021, about eleven million units more had been sold in China. This boom in domestic market demand could be explained by China’s spectacular economic growth, which in terms is expressed by the formation of a prosperous middle class.
China as a major car manufacturer
China had also become the world’s biggest automobile producer since 2017, with a share of nearly 30 percent of total global passenger vehicles produced in mainland China. The economic reforms of the early 1980s required foreign carmakers to form joint ventures with domestic auto producers in China. Over the past decades, a couple of large independent domestic auto brands have emerged. However, domestic carmakers generally lack technological know-how and market access when compared to their foreign rivals. As a result, foreign automakers generally enjoy larger market shares and higher profit margins in China. Overseas, Chinese autos tend to be sold to other developing countries where selling prices seem to a major determinant to consumers’ decisions.
Growth rate of vehicle sales in China from 2010 to 2022
*Figures from 2010 to 2020 were taken from previous reports.
Data prior to 2012 were taken from the J.P. Morgan report "China Auto Industry" from August 2012, page 13. Figures from 2012 were taken from annual sales figures provided by China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM). The report also cites CAAM as a source.
The data only cover manufacturer sales to dealers, rather than end-user demand.
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CAAM. (January 12, 2023). Growth rate of vehicle sales in China from 2010 to 2022 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved October 07, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/281168/growth-rate-of-vehicle-sales-in-china/
CAAM. "Growth rate of vehicle sales in China from 2010 to 2022." Chart. January 12, 2023. Statista. Accessed October 07, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/281168/growth-rate-of-vehicle-sales-in-china/
CAAM. (2023). Growth rate of vehicle sales in China from 2010 to 2022. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: October 07, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/281168/growth-rate-of-vehicle-sales-in-china/
CAAM. "Growth Rate of Vehicle Sales in China from 2010 to 2022." Statista, Statista Inc., 12 Jan 2023, https://www.statista.com/statistics/281168/growth-rate-of-vehicle-sales-in-china/
CAAM, Growth rate of vehicle sales in China from 2010 to 2022 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/281168/growth-rate-of-vehicle-sales-in-china/ (last visited October 07, 2024)
Growth rate of vehicle sales in China from 2010 to 2022 [Graph], CAAM, January 12, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/281168/growth-rate-of-vehicle-sales-in-china/