In May this year, production and sales of automotive vehicles in China amounted to 1.9758 million units and 1.9112 million units, down by 4.4 percent and 4.6 percent month on month respectively, while up 11 percent and 8.5 percent year on year, as announced by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM). In the first five months, production and sales of automotive vehicles in China totaled 9.928 million units and 9.8381 million units, up by 9.4 percent and 9 percent year on year respectively.
In particular, the output and sales volumes of passenger vehicles in China in May this year totaled 1.6496 million units and 1.5904 million units, decreasing by 1.1 percent and 1.2 percent month on month respectively, while up 16.2 percent and 13.9 percent year on year. In the January-May period of the year, the output and sales volumes of passenger vehicles in China totaled 8.1095 million units and 8.0701 million units, both up 11.1 percent year on year.
As for commercial vehicles, domestic output and sales in May this year amounted to 326,200 units and 320,800 units, down 18.5 percent and 18.8 percent year on year, while decreasing by 9.6 percent and 12 percent on month-on-month basis, respectively. In the first five months, domestic output and sales of commercial vehicles in China amounted to 1.8185 million mt and 1.7680 million mt, up 2.4 percent and 0.1 percent year on year.
Meanwhile, also in May, China's auto export volume amounted to 76,300 units, down 2.3 percent month on month and decreasing by 12 percent year on year, including 42,900 passenger vehicles and 33,400 commercial vehicles, down 7.9 percent and up 5.9 percent on month-on-month basis, while down 17.2 percent and decreasing by 4.2 percent year on year. In the first five months of the year, China's auto export volume totaled 363,300 units, down 9.8 percent year on year.
According to Chinese customs, in April of the current year China's auto import volume had amounted to 130,700 units, up 34.5 percent, and the country's auto export volume had totaled 78,500 units, down 4.6 percent, while in the January-April period China's auto import volume amounted to 439,100 units, up 40 percent.