Passenger car sales gained 5.19% on year to 14,472,400, as 14,485,300 units were produced, 4.32% more than 2010. The commercial vehicle market shrank 6.31% to 4,032,700, as production dropped 9.94% to 3,933,600. In the passenger car market, sedan sales were up 6.62%, reaching 10,122,700; MPV up 11.74%, 497,700; SUV up 20.19%, 1,593,700; microvans down 9.38%, 2,258,300.

In the last month of 2011, auto sales increased 1.38% to 1,689,600, including 1,368,900 passenger cars (up 4.61%) and 320,700 commercial vehicles (10.4%).

Below are the 2011 sales of the ten largest passenger car makers:

1. SAIC-GM-Wuling (SGMW): 1,217,900

2. Shanghai-GM: 1,185,600

3. Shanghai-VW: 1,165,800

4. FAW-VW: 1,034,900

5. Dongfeng-Nissan: 808,600

6. Beijing-Hyundai: 739,800

7. Chery: 634,300

8. Chongqing Changan: 543,100

9. FAW-Toyota: 529,000

10. BYD: 448,500

The top ten commercial vehicle makers are:

1. Dongfeng: 648,300

2. Beiqi Foton: 632,300

3. FAW: 279,300

4. Jinbei: 272,700

5. JAC: 270,500

6. Jiangling: 183,800

7. Chongqing Changan: 159,100

8. Sinotruk (CNHTC): 134,900

9. Great Wall: 121,700

10. Nanjing Auto: 113,800

For the first eleven months, Chinese auto sales increased 2.56% on year to 16,815,600, including 131,036 passenger cars, up 5.26%, and 3,712,000 commercial vehicles, down 5.93%.

Both the sedan and microvan sectors posted decreased sales in November from a year earlier. 927,700 sedans were sold, down 0.67%; 209,000 microvans, down 9.54%. MPV sales rose 10.97% to 46,700; SUV sales soared 20.74% to 160,300.

Report from China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) shows that automakers in China delivered 1,335,299 new passenger cars last month, 0.3% less than the same period last year. For the first eleven months, passenger car deliveries increased 5.2% on year to 13,102,993. In November, 931,552 sedans were sold, down 0.3% on year; 49,201 MPVs, up 6.2%; 160,070 SUVs, up 18.2%; 194,476 microvans, down 12.7%. Below are the Nov. sales of the ten largest passenger car makers in China (including exports):

1. Shanghai-GM: 116,235

2. SAIC-GM-Wuling (SGMW): 111,110

3. Shanghai-Volkswagen: 100,916

4. FAW-Volkswagen: 93,782

5. Dongfeng-Nissan: 73,411

6. Changan Auto: 65,992

7. Beijing Hyundai: 65,080

8. FAW-Toyota: 56,417

9. Chery Auto: 54,378

10. Dongfeng-Yueda-Kia: 45,759

Chery says construction of the Changsu factory for Qoros cars is currently underway and will be completed towards the end of 2012. Planned capacity for the initial stage will be 150,000 units a year.

Chery-Quantum, the predecessor of Qoros Auto, was registered in 2007 as a 55:45 joint venture. Total investment has been said to top 5 billion Yuan.

The team leading Quoros includes Guo, Qian, Chairman and President, formerly Vice President of Chery, Gert Hildebrand, Chief Designer, from BMW Mini, and Volker Steinwascher, Vice President, formerly Vice President of Volkswagen North America.

At the opening ceremony on Nov. 29, a rough model of Qoros, named "Chinese White Tiger," was on display. According to Gert Hilderbrand, a compact three-box sedan (described as a midsize at Chery’s official website) will go on sale in 2013, followed by a hatchback and SUV, all sharing one platform; a main target of Qoros cars will be VW Golf.

The name "Qoros" is said to come from the Greek word "Khoros," which, as the root word for "chorus" and "choreography," means "dance" and "play."

The Sprinter comes with two wheelbase options, 3,665mm and 4,325mm, and one engine choice, a diesel 2.143L inline 4 cylinder (OM 651 DE22LA), which can put out a maximum of 110kW of power and 330Nm of torque. It is mated to a 6-speed manual transmission.

Standard equipment include ESP (with ABS,EBD,BAS,ASR,LAC), parking assist, driver’s front airbag, cruise control, automatic halogen headlights, leather seats, and drive authorization system.

Promoted as a high-end minibus, the Sprinter is said to fill a vacuum in a rapidly growing market in China. In the first half of this year, sales of minibuses gained 17% over a year ago, outpacing the overall Chinese auto market. The main competitors of the Sprinter include IVECO from Nanjing-IVECO, Ford Transit, and SAIC Maxus V80, although all of the latter three sell for significantly less. The low-end minibus market is dominated by local brands like Foton, JAC, and Jinbei.

For more details of the Sprinter from Fujian Daimler, please click here.

In the passenger car market, all main sectors except that of the microvans saw growth from a year ago. Sedan sales reached 858,200, up 2.76%; MPV 44,900, up 12.92%; SUV 146,000, up 21.58%; microvan 171,700, down 17.74%.In the commercial market, 32,900 buses were sold, 23.33% more than a year ago, while truck sales fell 10.83% on year to 203,000.

In the first ten months, automakers in China sold 15,160,600 new vehicles, 3.15% more than a year ago, including 11,760,000 passenger cars, up 5.86% on year, and 3,400,600 commercial vehicles, down 5.25%.

China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) recorded 1,216,508 sales of new passenger cars in October (wholesales including exports), 1% more than a year earlier. Sedan sales gained 2.5% on year to 859,130, MPV sales up 8% to 46,716, SUV sales up 22.1% to 148,322, microvan sales down 19.6% to 162,340. For the first ten months, the passenger car market expanded 5.9% on year to reach 11,767,540 sales.

Below are the October sales of the ten largest automakers in China according to CPCA:

1. Shanghai-GM: 107,431

2. SAIC-GM-Wuling (SGMW): 106,028

3. Shanghai-VW: 100,391

4. FAW-VW: 94,130

5. Dongfeng-Nissan: 71,032

6. Beijing-Hyundai: 59,015

7. Chery Auto: 55,988

8. FAW-Toyota: 48,162

9. Changan Auto: 44,840

10. Dongfeng-Yueda-Kia: 41,008

In the first nine months of 2011, 13,633,500 new vehicles were sold, up 3.62% from the same period in 2010, including 10,537,800 passenger cars (up 6.38% on year) and 3,095,700 commercial vehicles (down 4.79%).

All sectors of the passenger car market posted growth in September. 930,200 sedans were sold, up 9.33% on year; 48,000 MPVs, up 18.89%; 145,700 SUVs, up 15.23%; 195,600 micro-vans, up 0.17%.

Data from China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) show that automakers in China sold 1,316,281 new sedans, SUVs, MPVs, and microvans in September, 6.4% more than a year ago. Sedan sales increased 8.2% on year to 931,187, MPV sales up 16.8% to 51,671, SUV sales up 22% to 148,217, micro-van sales down 10.5% 185,215.

Below are the most popular new sedans and SUVs in September 2011, according to CAAM:

Below are the top ten largest automakers in September in terms of wholesales (including exports):

1. Shanghai-GM: 118,392

2. SAIC-GM-Wuling (SGMW): 112,525

3. Shanghai-VW: 110,338

4. FAW-VW: 97,825

5. Dongfeng-Nissan: 80,008

6. Beijing-Hyundai: 73,255

7. Chery Auto: 60,933

8. Changan Auto: 60,165

9. FAW-Toyota: 53,265

10: Dongfeng-Yueda-Kia: 43,508

BYD e6B

The version to be released for individual purchases, coded e6B in development, will be a luxury edition of the e6 taxi, called e6A. Differences between the two will be limited to the non-essentials, as the electric powertrain and body structure will remain the same. Besides minor cosmetic modifications, the e6B will get additional, upscale features like power chairs, keyless entry, parking camera, digital TV, and bluetooth connectivity.

BYD e6B

The price of the e6B is not revealed, although it is expected to be comparable to that of the e6A, which BYD sold to the taxi company for 299,800 Yuan per unit before the application of subsidies. As both the central government and city of Shenzhen offered 60,000 Yuan in subsidy for each e6A, the all-electric taxi costed less 180,000 Yuan to own, according to BYD’s numbers. Individual buyers of the e6 are expected to receive similar amounts of incentives.

Able to run 240-300km on one full charge, the e6, BYD claims, will have the longest range among all mass-produced pure-electric cars in the world.

In August, sedan sales increased 9.52% on year to 778,400. 131,200 SUVs were delivered, up 10.32%; 148,000 microvans, down 5.87%; 37,600 MPVs, up 11.34%.

Below are the most popular new sedans and SUVs in August 2011:

In August, the microvan market, which has been shrinking from a year ago, saw strong recovery, growing 19.2% from July to reach 141,088 (although still 7% smaller than in August 2010). MPVs also performed well, as sales gained 10.4% from July and 15.1% on year to 39,220. Both the sedan and SUV markets grew 4.7% on year, reaching 746,019 and 115,257, respectively.

In the first eight months, Chinese bought 5,996,057 sedans, up 6.3% on year; 324,235 MPVs, up 15%; 913,612 SUVs, up 25.4%; 1,409,997 microvans, down11.1%.

Below are the sales of the top ten passenger car makers in August (wholesales including exports):

1. Shanghai GM: 102,620

2. SAIC-GM-Wuling: 98,499

3. Shanghai Volkswagen: 95,235

4. FAW Volkswagen: 92,734

5. Dongfeng Nissan: 63,936

6. Beijing Hyundai: 63,036

7. FAW Toyota: 52,329

8. Chery Auto: 45,779

9. Dongfeng Yueda Kia: 35,008

10. Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen (DPCA): 31,082

"Growth of Chinese auto sales has been slowing down in recent months. But we continue to see strong interest in our vehicles, as consumers are attracted by their advanced technology, high fuel efficiency and quality," says He, Junjie, Vice President of Ford China in marketing.

In the first eight months, the passenger car joint venture Changan-Ford-Mazda delivered 205,855 Ford-brand vehicles, up 7% from a year ago, including 125,209 units of Focus (up 16%) and 36,534 units of Mondeo (up 10%). Sales of the commercial vehicle joint venture of JMC (Jiangling Motor), which makes Ford Transit vans, rise 14% on year to 133,810.

To increase local capacity and sales, Ford and its Chinese partners are building or plan to build two new vehicle assembly lines (in Chongqing and Nanchang), a new engine plant and a transmission plant (both in Chongqing).