China may be experiencing a significant slump in car sales this year but that has apparently not stopped Japanese car brands from having better-than-expected sales numbers. Despite car sales falling for the 16th straight month, major Japanese car brands such as Nissan, Honda, and Toyota are apparently still reporting increased sales.
China's total car sales for the first nine months of the year stood at around 1.96 million units. This was a 6.9 percent decline over the same period last year. According to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, October was the 16th month of declines sales since July 2018.
While most Chinese automotive firms have reported declines in car sales over the past months, their Japanese counterparts have apparently managed to weather the slump. Japanese manufacturers such as Toyota, Honda, and Nissan have all reported decent growth in their sales numbers across China from January to October.
Nissan had reported a 2 percent sales growth for the month of October, topping its previous year's sales for the month of 129,659 units. The company's seventh-generation Altima sedan was apparently one of its best-performing products, with a 12.5 percent year-on-year increase in sales.
Nissan also reported an uptick in sales of its sports utility vehicles (SUVs). For the first nine months of the year, the company reported a 0.2 percent increase in its overall sales in China.
Japan's largest automaker, Toyota Motor Corp, also reported increased sales over the same nine-month period. The company reported total deliveries of 892,866 vehicles to Chinese customers. This represents a 7.7 percent increase in deliveries when compared to the same period last year. Toyota has seen a lot of success in China with its array of vehicles utilizing its new Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA) platform.
Meanwhile, Honda reported total vehicle sales of 124,155 units for the month of October in China. This was a 5.9 percent year-on-year increase for the company. For the first nine months of the year, Honda reported total sales of 985,514 vehicles, a massive 18.4 percent increase over the same period last year. Honda's best-selling models in China include its new Honda Civic sedan and its Honda CR-V crossover vehicle.
Analysts have stated that the performance of the Japanese brands in the Chinese market clearly indicates that there is still a lot of demand for high-quality products. Chinese companies will likely have to step up their game to compete with foreign brands. Japanese cars are often associated with superb quality and durability, a reputation that Chinese companies will have to work hard to earn.
