New vehicle sales in China increased by 17.8% to 1,596,400 units in February, compared with weak year-earlier sales of 1,354,600 units, according to data released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAMA).
The strong year-on-year jump partly reflects the timing of the Chinese Lunar New Year festival (which moves in the calendar), but also suggests that demand in China remains strong.
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Passenger car sales increased by 21.2% to 1,338,800 units last month, while commercial vehicle sales were up by 17% at 284,200 units.
In the first two months of the year, cumulative sales increased by 10.7% to 3,752,900 units, with passenger cars rising by 11.3% to 3,159,000 and commercial vehicles 7.6% higher at 593,900 units.
Volkswagen Group led the market in February, with its two joint ventures, Shanghai-VW and FAW-VW, reporting combined sales of 278,900 units.
General Motors said its joint ventures in China reported a 19.9% increase in combined sales to 257,770 units, with sales of Buick-branded vehicles rising by 13% to 59,164 units.
Ford China reported a 67% rise in sales to 73,040 units, helped by strong demand for the Focus compact car.
There was good news for the Japanese OEMs who are bouncing back from the slump caused by diplomatic tensions between the two countries.
Nissan reported a 55.6% jump in sales to 71,900 units, while Toyota’s sales increased by 43.1% to 51,900 units and Honda’s by 27.6% to 40,858 units.
