October vehicle production in China totaled 1,916,030 units, up 20.6% over like-2012. This was the largest year-over-year gain for the country since January, but fell short of September’s 1,926,116 unit volume.
Car output climbed for the eighth straight month, up 16.9% over year-ago to 1,046,678 units. Light and medium/heavy trucks also reported increases in the number of monthly builds, up 26.5% and 21.5%, respectively. Buses were the only sector to post a decline in October, down 3.1%. This marked the fifth time in 2013 that buses recorded a decrease in production, and was the lowest monthly volume since July.
Production of the Skoda Yeti began in October, with 247 units built. The CUV is locally produced with partner Shanghai Volkswagen and likely will increase attention to the steadily growing CUV market. The Chinese-made Yeti is built with a larger wheelbase than the original European model, and features an optional spare tire on the tailgate.
In October, Shanghai VW ranked second among manufacturers, trailing just behind SAIC-GM-Wuling, with a 7.3% share of production. SAIC-GM-Wuling held a 7.8% share of China’s output.
SAIC-GM-Wuling’s Hongguang was the highest-volume model in October, accounting for 3.1% of total builds. With 59,899 units produced, it outnumbered the second-place Volkswagen Jetta by more than 13,000 units. Shanghai VW’s Lavida placed third with a 2.1% share of production.
Through October, China’s manufacturers produced 17,854,344 vehicles, about 13.6%, or 2 million units more than the first 10 months of 2012.
