Motor Vehicle Sales in China Soar 46%

Wholesale deliveries of passenger and commercial vehicles in China jumped to 2.03 million units last month from 1.39 million units in January 2012, the China Assn. of Automobile Manufacturers reports.

January's sales total was the highest for any month ever in China, CAAM notes. The increase was caused by the typical surge of car buying before the Lunar New Year holiday, which occurs in February this year but fell in January in 2012, analysts say. They note the result could be a steep drop in this month's volume.

China's demand for passenger vehicles last month soared 49% year over year to 1.73 million units. SUVs remain that market's fastest-growing segment, zooming 91% to 240,700 units. Sedan sales climbed 49% to 1.19 million vehicles.

The seasonal boost enabled Japanese carmakers to post their first increases in China since consumers there began shunning their vehicles in September amid a territorial dispute between the two countries. January volume jumped at Nissan (+22% to 115,700 vehicles), Toyota (+24% to 72,500 units) and Honda (+22% to 47,200 units).

Foreign automakers reporting big gains in China last month include General Motors (+26% to 310,800 vehicles) and Ford (+98% to 61,500 units). The Volkswagen Lavidia surpassed the Ford Focus to become the country's top-selling sedan.