China's Automobile Imports Double in First Half of This Year

China imported 39,000 vehicles in the first half of this year, up 100 percent over the same period last year.

The number of imported sedan cars grew to 18,454 in the first five months of the year, taking up 61.5 percent of the total automobile imports in the period, according to the latest statistics from China's Automobile Imports Trade Center (CAITC).

The number of automobiles imported from Japan accounted for 56 percent of the total imports. Meanwhile, automobiles from Germany occupied 14 percent of the total, showing a rapid growth in the five months.

"The price of imported automobiles has declined because the Japanese Yen, German Mark and Euro devalued some 10 percent from the same period last year," said Pan Zushun, general manager of CAITC.

Experts here attributed the momentum of China's automobile imports to China's tariffs reductions, increasing domestic demand and the change of foreign exchange rates.

China to Reduce Auto Imports in Second Half of This Year

China's automobile imports, especially those from Japan, will decrease in the second half of this year.

"The import of automobiles is greatly vulnerable to changes in policies. For example, the import of Japanese cars will be sharply down due to the cancellation of old orders and the stagnation of new ones in the next six months," Pan Zushun, general manager of China's Automobile Imports Trade Center said here Monday.

Meanwhile, the imports of cars from European countries will keep increasing, with Germany being the biggest beneficiary from the current change. Auto-makers like Mercedes Benz, BMW and Audi have announced their decision to export more cars to China.

Volvo, Renault and Citroen will also further increase their exports to the Chinese market, said Pan, noting that the Republic of Korea auto producers also expect good opportunities in China.

Experts here believed that in the coming months, some Japanese manufacturers may change their old sales pattern to sell more car parts instead of complete cars.






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