China June car sales edge up, weak summer sales seen (08/07/11)

Global car sales continued to edge up in June, rising by 6.2 per cent in China compared with the same month a year earlier.

While this reversed the decline seen in May, the auto market in China is expected to remain fairly low-key throughout the summer, before a modest rebound kicks in in autumn.

This is partially due to the end of government policy incentives, the last of which were stripped away at the end of 2010.

"Most auto stocks did not do very well in the first half, but investors are coming back again, betting on their growth potential," said Liu Lixi, an analyst with Northeast Securities.

SAIC says June auto sales up 10 pct (07/07/11)

Meanwhile, leading Chinese automaker SAIC said its June sales figures were up ten per cent from 2010, driven by sustained demand for Buick and Volkswagen vehicles at the company's Shanghai ventures.

The company sold 317,682 vehicles in June, including a 45.5 per cent monthly jump on its flagship car venture with General Motors and bringing it to two million vehicles sold in the first half of the year.

The company now aims to sell four million units over the full year.

GM's China car JV says H1 auto sales up 27.5 pct y-on-y (05/07/11)

Additionally, General Motors' car venture in Shanghai said it sold 612,072 vehicles in the first half of the year, a 27.5 per cent increase compared with the same month a year earlier. This includes 12,067 exported vehicles.

Russian car sales up 40 pct y/y in June (08/07/11)

In Russia, car sales rose 40 per cent year-on-year in June, continuing momentum after a 48 per cent increase was seen in May.

During the first half of 2011, the Russian car market expanded by 56 per cent in year-on-year terms.

"Growth for the first half of 2011 of 56 per cent shows that the recovery of the Russian market is now well established and is tracking ahead of our latest forecast of 2.35 million units for the full year," said David Thomas, Chairman of the AEB Automobile Manufacturers Committee.

German car sales jump in June (07/07/11)

There was similar good news for automakers in Germany, where the BMW Group saw rises of 15.9 per cent and Audi 18.5 per cent, trading on strong demand from domestic markets and in emerging economies.

BMW had its highest level of monthly sales ever, with sales doubling in India and tripling in Turkey, while Audi was strong in France, Scandinavia and the UK.

The German car market is poised for further growth in the second half of the year, said a car industry group.

German June car sales rise 10 pct (04/07/11)

Auto importers' association VDIK said the news that ten per cent more cars were registered in June than a year earlier puts the German car market in good stead for the rest of the year.

"The positive overall economic development is clearly having an effect. The car industry's order backlog has reached an excellent level," said Volker Lange, president of VDIK.

Vehicle sales in South Africa rose 12.6% in June from year ago, group says (04/07/11)

The National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa said sales increased 12.6 per cent to 44,880 in June from a year ago.

Car sales lose pace as interest rate hikes pinch (02/07/11)

India's auto industry fared less well than other markets, with consumer sentiment driven downward by interest rate hikes and high petrol prices, as well as a strike at Maruti's Manesar plant.

The two-week strike contributed to a four per cent sales drop against the previous year, compounded by a six-day maintenance shutdown.

Honda, Ford, Fiat and Tata Motors all experienced disappointing sales as well, with the latter's volumes falling 21 per cent.

Detroit automakers log strong Canada sales in June (04/07/11)

Finally, Ford of Canada experienced its best June in 22 years, with a 5.5 per cent sales boost, while General Motors and Chrysler Canada reported 11.9 per cent and 27.4 per cent upswings respectively.

"Our investment in smaller more fuel efficient vehicles is clearly paying off as consumers continue to look for great fuel economy," said David Mondragon, chief executive of Ford's Canadian unit.

Meanwhile, Honda was disappointed with a 19 per cent drop caused by supply issues, and the company's Acura division also reported falling sales.
 

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