China overtakes US as world’s No. 1 auto market

China’s auto market, which overtook the United States as the world’s largest earlier this year thanks to a raft of policy incentives, has been a major bright spot amid a global industry downturn.

Following are some key facts about China’s car industry:

TOTAL SALES

In the first 11 months, a total of 9.23 million passenger cars were sold in the country, up 49.70 percent from a year earlier, data provided by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers showed.

Sales of branded domestic models accounted for 30 percent of total passenger vehicle sales during the period. The remainder are either made by joint ventures between foreign firms and their Chinese partners or imported from overseas.

MARKET LEADERS

SAIC-GM-Wuling led the market with 902,507 vehicles sold during the Jan-Nov period. The firm is a joint venture between General Motors, SAIC Motor Corp, China’s largest car maker, and Liuzhou Wuling Automobile.

Shanghai Volkswagen, a joint venture between Volkswagen AG and SAIC, followed with total sales of 640,620 units.

FAW Volkswagen, the German automaker’s tie-up with state-owned FAW Group, sold 616,509 units in the first 11 months of 2009, ranking third.

BEST SELLING MODELS

BYD’s F3 sedan was the best selling car in China in the first 11 months of 2009. The Shenzhen-based battery and car maker, backed by U.S. billionaire Warren Buffet, sold 21,853 units of F3 in the period.

Among foreign brands, Hyundai Motor Co’s Elantra sold 21,857 units. The Korean firm produces Elantra in China through a production partnership with Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Group (BAIC), China’s fifth-largest automaker.

THE CHEAPEST MODEL

QQ, a compact sedan made by Chery Automobile, China’s largest indigenous car maker, sells for 33,800 yuan ($4,951) for its basic 0.8-Liter model.

2010 OUTLOOK

BYD

BYD, which is 10 percent owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, aims to sell 800,000 vehicles next year, up from a previous target of 700,000 units. It sold 400,000 vehicles in 2009.

NISSAN

Nissan Motor aims to sell 600,000 cars in China in 2010, up from expected sales of 517,000 in 2009. Its joint venture in China aims to sell 1 million cars, trucks and buses this year, up 10.5 percent from 2009 and well ahead of a plan to reach that milestone by 2012.

TOYOTA

Toyota Motor’s China sales growth is expected to slow down to about 14 percent this year from 17 percent in 2009, with a target of selling 800,000 vehicles in China. It sold 700,000 units in 2009.

FORD

Ford Motors expects to outperform the industry-wide sales growth in 2010, which is seen at 8 percent. The U.S. automaker sold 440,619 units in China last year, up 44 percent from the previous year.

OVERSEAS M&A

GEELY-VOLVO

Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd, China’s largest private automaker, said in December it is nearing an agreement to buy Ford Motor’s Volvo Swedish cars unit. The value of the deal has been estimated at $1.8 billion.

BAIC-SAAB

BAIC bought the intellectual property for several Saab models from General Motors for $200 million. The acquisition is believed to cut short BAIC’s vehicle development plan by four to five years.

TENGZHONG-HUMMER

Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Co, a little-known Chinese machinery maker, surprised investors and industry executives alike by unveiling a tentative plan in June to take over Hummer from General Motors.

($1=6.827 Yuan)

中国跃居世界第一大汽车市场

受益于政府刺激政策，中国汽车市场在今年年初超越美国，成为全球第一大汽车市场。在全球各行业一片黯淡中，中国汽车市场一直是一道亮丽的风景。

以下是中国汽车行业的一些关键事实。

销售总量

根据中国汽车工业协会数据，去年1-11月，国内乘用车累计销量达到923万辆，同比增长49.70%。

同期，乘用车自主品牌销量占销售总量的30%，其馀为中外合资或从进口乘用车。

2009年的完全统计数据最早能在本周公布。

市场领头羊

2009年1-11月份期间，上汽通用五菱汽车股份有限公司以902,507辆的汽车销量拔下头筹。该公司为通用[GM.UL]、上海汽车与柳州五菱汽车的合资企业。

大众汽车(Volkswagen)与上汽的合资企业–上海大众位居第二，汽车销量640,620辆。

排名第三的是一汽-大众，销量达616,509辆。

最畅销车型

2009年1-11月期间，比亚迪F3是国内最畅销的车型。比亚迪F3在1-11月的销量达到了21,853辆。美国亿万富翁巴菲特的伯克希尔哈撒韦公司（Berkshire Hathaway）拥有比亚迪10%的股权。

在海外品牌中，现代汽车集团的悦动卖出了21,857辆。悦动由现代与北京汽车制造厂有限公司（BAIC）合作生产。

最便宜车型

奇瑞汽车公司生产的QQ是最廉价的车型，基础款型奇瑞QQ 0.8L售价仅为3.38万元（4,951美元）。

展望2010

比亚迪

比亚迪计划明年销售80万辆车，较之前提出的目标高出约10万辆。2009年比亚迪的销量为40万辆。

尼桑

尼桑汽车2010计划在中国销售汽车60万辆，而其2009年的销售量预计为51.7万辆。该公司在华的合资企业计划今年销售100万辆汽车、卡车与巴士，较2009年提高10.5%，比之前2012年实现百万大关的目标大幅提前。

丰田

丰田汽车2010年在华汽车销量增速可能从2009年的17%降至14%左右，该公司2010年在华销售目标为80万辆。2009年丰田在华共售出70万辆。

福特

福特预期2010在华销售业绩可能超出行业平均水平。去年该公司在中国售出了440,619万辆车，同比增长44%。

海外并购

吉利–沃尔沃

中国最大私营汽车制造商–吉利汽车股份有限公司去年12月份称，即将达成收购福特旗下瑞典沃尔沃汽车部门的协议。协议价值估计达18亿美元。

北汽–萨博

北汽以2亿美元价格购买通用汽车旗下萨博的相关技术。

腾中–悍马

四川腾中重工机械有限公司2009年6月份宣布了收购通用汽车旗下悍马品牌的计划，令投资者与行业高管倍感意外。