VW: China’s Car Market May Remain Flat Well into 2019
Demand for new cars in China, which has stalled this year, may not revive until next summer because of the China-U.S trade war, says Volkswagen AG’s head of China operations.
#economics
Demand for new cars in China, which has stalled this year, may not revive until next summer because of the China-U.S trade war, says Volkswagen AG’s head of China operations.
VW sold 4.2 million vehicles in China last year. But Jochem Heizmann tells the Financial Times that group sales have been “challenging” since June. “Every month is getting worse,” he adds. The company’s sales in China slid 10% in September.
Heizmann predicts a sales recovery in the second half of 2019, assuming the tariff war between China and the U.S. ends by then.
Media reports earlier this month suggested China’s central government might stimulate the market by reviving a break on new-car sales taxes for models equipped with small engines. But FT notes cites comments by Chinese officials in local media saying they are not likely to offer tax rebates this year.
RELATED CONTENT
-
On Quantum Navigation, EVs, Auto Industry Sales and more
Sandia’s quantum navi, three things about EVs, transporting iron ore in an EV during the winter, going underwater in an EV (OK, it is a sub), state of the UK auto industry (sad), why the Big Three likes Big Vehicles, and the future of logistics.
-
On Global EV Sales, Lean and the Supply Chain & Dealing With Snow
The distribution of EVs and potential implications, why lean still matters even with supply chain issues, where there are the most industrial robots, a potential coming shortage that isn’t a microprocessor, mapping tech and obscured signs, and a look at the future
-
Tariffs on Autos: “No One Wins”
While talk of tariffs may make the president sound tough and which gives the talking heads on cable something to talk about, the impact of the potential 25 percent tariffs on vehicles imported to the U.S. could have some fairly significant consequences.