Will China dislodge the United States from its number one spot in terms of vehicle sales in 2009? If the current trend continues, it just might be happen.
Earlier this month the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers announced that during the first five months of 2009, sales of automobiles made in China reached 4.96 million units, a 14.3% increase over last year.
The association attributes this success to the government incentives offered to Chinese consumers.
In April the same association had predicted the sale of 10.2 million cars (passenger and commercial vehicles combined) in China in 2009, representing an 8.7% increase compared to 2008.
And if sales in the U.S. hover around 10.4 million units, as the analysts at J.D. Power predicted last February, the gap until now separating the Chinese and U.S. markets will be very narrow indeed.
In 2008, over 13.2 million vehicles were reportedly sold in the U.S. and 9.2 million in China.
photo:2009 Shanghai Auto Show
Earlier this month the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers announced that during the first five months of 2009, sales of automobiles made in China reached 4.96 million units, a 14.3% increase over last year.
 |
| 2009 Shanghai Auto Show |
The association attributes this success to the government incentives offered to Chinese consumers.
In April the same association had predicted the sale of 10.2 million cars (passenger and commercial vehicles combined) in China in 2009, representing an 8.7% increase compared to 2008.
And if sales in the U.S. hover around 10.4 million units, as the analysts at J.D. Power predicted last February, the gap until now separating the Chinese and U.S. markets will be very narrow indeed.
In 2008, over 13.2 million vehicles were reportedly sold in the U.S. and 9.2 million in China.
photo:2009 Shanghai Auto Show