Chinese Auto Sales Hit New High in April

China View ^ | May 8, 2009 | Wang Guanqun

[mentor2k]

BEIJING, May 8 (Xinhua) -- Sales of China's domestically made auto set a record high of 1.153 million units in April, up 25 percent from a year earlier, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) said Friday.

This represents an increase of 3.91 percent from March. In March, sales rose 5 percent year-on-year to 1.11 million units.

[silverleaf]

there goes the price of oil

[Chi-townChief]

I hear they like Buicks.

[Paladin2]

"I hear they like Buicks."

Just remember that "ick" is an integral part of Buick (Turbo 3.8L exempted).

[kabar]

While in Beijing there are still 2.4 million people who ride their bicycles to work every day, nearly 1,000 new cars hit the streets daily. China's roads are expected to be clogged with 170 million vehicles by 2020 says the World Bank - by which time the country would have surpassed the United States in total car ownership.

[silverleaf]

Great

By 2020 we’ll be using Chrysler’s obamobile no-carb emitting golfcarts and the Chinese will be driving SUV’s

global justice

[Red in Blue PA]

“By 2020 we’ll be using Chrysler’s obamobile no-carb emitting golfcarts and the Chinese will be driving SUV’s”

That would make a great bumper sticker.

[kabar]

They will be able to afford SUVs, we won’t.

[ken21]

let’s invest in gm china and chinese oil,

while we sit around on the obama plantation.

[benewton]

You might.

I’ll keep the 4x4 F350 diesel daily commuter, thanks anyway.

I will be seriously PO’d, though, if one of the rice boxes actually hits me and scratches the differentials...

[mono]

GM sells lots more Buicks in China than in the US!

[Paladin2]

"one of the rice boxes actually hits me and scratches the differentials.."

Isn't that what the hitch and running boards are there to prevent?

[cranked]

Global Warming Ping? ;p

[PGR88]

If the US automakers were more independent, better run and the UAW didn’t exist, (ie. in a parallel universe) I seriously believe that even with differing labor costs, the USA would be exporting some cars and many more parts.

There is nothing inherently uncompetitive about high labor costs - it is all about productivity.

[mojito]

These statistics seem suspicious.

China's exports and commercial real estate are in the tank, and food costs are rising.

And in this economic climate, the government is reporting a huge increase in March and April car sales?

There is a lot of political pressure to show that China's stimulus package spending is working, and I think that results in the figures we're seeing.

The Chinese have no problem announcing phony economic statistics if it suits their purpose, and here it suits their purpose.

[MightyTruth]

I doubt the numbers are just made-up, you know, auto-sell is not something that you can talk from thin air espeically considering there are so many foreign auto companies in China, and they all report recorded-gain in April as well, including your GM.

Its more like the otherway around, wishful thinkers from the west love to make analysis from the thin air and dismiss any numbers dont fit their taste.

[Republican Party Reptile]

a lot of my company’s Chinese employees in Shanghai are buying new cars (most for the first time) over the last two years. Typical profile - 5 to 10 years out of college, married, having a new child (which is often the impetus for buying a car).