The average backlog of light vehicles at new-car dealerships skyrocketed to a 444-day supply in February, nearly 10 times the number – 45 days – a month earlier, as a result of disruptions caused by the coronavirus outbreak.
Stockpiles at stores marketing domestically built, foreign mass-market brands shot up to 486 days from 42 days in January, according to the China Automobiles Dealers Association.
Inventories at dealerships stocking Chinese brands soared to a 401-day supply from 53 days the previous month.
Dealerships with luxury brands and imported foreign brands carried an average backlog of 389 days, up from 42 days in January.
Because of the viral outbreak, Beijing extended the Chinese New Year holiday by an extra week to Feb. 9 to help slow the spread of the virus.
Nearly half of all new-vehicle dealerships in China remained closed by the end of last month for failing to obtain approval from local governments, which require retail businesses to provide sufficient protective resources for customers and employees.
According to the latest survey from CADA, some 83 percent of vehicle dealerships across the country had reopened as of Tuesday, with average showroom traffic just 44 percent of levels a year earlier.
