Electric Cars Lead as China Auto Sales Rise for Fifth Month

Electric Cars Lead as China Auto Sales Rise for Fifth Month

China electric cars

  • Optimism growing that historic two-year slump is over
  • EVs from Tesla, rivals outpacing conventional autos in growth

Auto sales rose for a fifth straight month in China, fueling optimism that a two-year slump in the world’s largest market is over as the coronavirus pandemic eases and demand for electric cars from the likes of Tesla Inc. grows.



Retail sales of cars, SUVs and multiple-purpose vehicles gained 7.8% from a year earlier to 2.11 million units in November, China Passenger Car Association said Tuesday. Wholesales of new energy vehicles, including electric autos, more than doubled to 169,000 units.

China

The gain adds to signs that a sustained rebound is underway, a relief for global automakers such as Volkswagen AG and Toyota Motor Corp. that are struggling with sputtering demand in other major markets in Europe and North America. Rising sales of electric cars from Tesla, BYD Co. and Nio Inc. are helping to fuel the rebound.

Tesla sold 21,604 locally made vehicles in China in November, PCA said, signaling a record month for Elon Musk’s carmaker. The U.S. company ranked third in NEV sales, trailing SAIC-GM Wuling Automobile Co. and BYD, which sell less expensive vehicles.



Tesla has steadily boosted sales in China after starting deliveries of locally built sedans about a year ago. The company also said on Oct. 20 it is starting Model 3 exports from China to markets including Germany, France and Switzerland.

Still, competition is intensifying in the premium electric-car segment in China, with rivals including Nio and Xpeng Inc. attracting more buyers.

Recovery Underway

A decades-long expansion in the Chinese car market gave way to a slump that began in mid-2018 as a cooling economy and trade tensions with the U.S. weighed on demand. Next year, passenger-vehicle sales excluding minivans will rise by 7%, led by NEV sales increasing about 35% to 1.7 million units, PCA forecast.



There are about 275 million automobiles in use in China — leaving a lot of room for growth for the country of 1.4 billion people. The owners of the nation’s 100 million motorcycles and 300 million electric bicycles could possibly opt for cars in the future, Dong Yang, a former secretary general of China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, said last month.

More than half of Chinese consumers planning to buy a new car would prefer a new energy vehicle over an internal combustion engine auto, according to a survey by researcher CLSA that included 1,600 respondents. That’s up from a third in 2018, CLSA said, citing lower prices, rising quality, easier access to license plates and government subsidies as reasons for electric cars’ rising popularity.

Robust demand for heavy-duty trucks has also propelled China’s vehicle sales over the past few months. Sales of heavy-duty trucks surged 39% in the first 11 months of the year to 1.5 million units, according to PCA.

— With assistance by John Liu, Ying Tian, and Matt Turner

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