Car Wholesales in China Fell 5% in August

Factory shipments of new passenger vehicles in China shrank 5% to 1.7 million units in August, the China Assn. of Automobile Manufacturers reports.

The slump follows a 5% year-on-year decline in wholesales to 1.6 million units in July. All segments were affected. CAAM says August shipments of popular SUV/crossovers dropped 5% to 737,000 units. Sedan wholesales slipped 3% to 901,000 cars.

Wholesales of commercial trucks and buses dropped 4% to 294,700 units in August. Total vehicle production for the month came to 2.0 million units, down 4%.

CAAM says production through the first eight months of 2018 totaled 18.1 million units, up 3% from the same period last year.