The international automotive markets are continuing to expand - only in Western Europe and Brazil did sales fall during the month of April. The Chinese passenger car market is buoyant again and last month it grew by 14 per cent. Sales in Japan actually doubled compared with the same month last year. While the Central and Eastern European countries recorded expansion, sales in Western Europe continued their downward trend. The German market had a stabilising effect on the generally weak European market.
The US light vehicle market also maintained a very positive mood in April. At 1.18 million units sold, demand was 2 per cent above that in April 2011. However, last month the manufacturers had three fewer trading days, and therefore growth was less strong than it was in the preceding months. The passenger car segment gained more than 3 per cent (619,500 units). The market for light trucks climbed to 561,600 vehicles, rising by one per cent. In this setting the German automotive manufacturers continue to improve their position on the US market. In April they sold almost 104,400 light vehicles (+21 per cent). In the first four months of this year they achieved an increase of nearly 23 per cent (378,100 vehicles). The overall US market has grown by 10 per cent over the same period.
The Chinese market for passenger cars showed double-digit growth in April - with a rise of 14 per cent and sales once again exceeding the one million mark. This year so far 4.22 million passenger cars have been sold, which is a year-on-year increase of 4 per cent. |
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Source: transportweekly
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