Exports drive up August light-vehicle shipments 6.9%

Automakers in China shipped 2.27 million sedans, crossovers, SUVs, multipurpose vehicles and minibuses last month, up 6.9 percent from a year earlier, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers said Monday.

The growth in shipments was driven by overseas vehicle demand, according to the trade group’s tally. 

Light-vehicle exports last month jumped 34 percent to some 349,000. By contrast, shipments inside China rose 3.2 percent to 1.92 million. 

In the first eight months, wholesale deliveries of light vehicles industrywide expanded 6.7 percent to exceed 15.6 million. 

Light-vehicle exports through August surged 70 percent to approach 2.46 million, while domestic shipments slid 0.2 percent to below 13.2 million. 

In August, shipments of commercial vehicles such as buses and trucks jumped 20 percent to roughly 300,000, with year-to-date volume advancing 16 percent to 2.57 million. 

Shipments of all vehicles industrywide grew 8.4 percent to 2.58 million last month, with year-to-date volume increasing eight percent to 18.21 million. 

Electrified vehicles
The market continues to tilt toward electrified vehicles at a fast clip, with August shipments of full-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids rallying 27 percent to some 846,000. 

EV sales rose 14 percent to about 597,000 last month while demand for plug-in hybrids spiked 73 percent to around 249,000.

As of August, shipments of electrified vehicles industrywide have jumped 39 percent to 5.37 million in 2023, with EV deliveries jumping 30 percent to top 3.84 million while plug-in hybrid volume surged 87 percent to approach 1.53 million.