MG leads another surge in Chinese new-car sales
MG has broken into the Top 10 for Australian new-car sales in February 2021 – for the first time ever.
Finishing in eighth position ahead of Volkswagen and behind Nissan, it is the first time in Australian automotive history a Chinese brand has been inside the Top 10.
According to official data released today by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), the brand led the way for Chinese models, selling 3017 MG models last month – an increase of more than 160 per cent compared to the same month last year.
It's a trend echoed across all Chinese-made vehicles, with GWM (formerly known as Great Wall Motors and Haval) posting a 170 per cent increase in sales compared with the same month last year.
LDV posted a 79 per cent increase on the back of updates to its T60 ute and the arrival of a new large van.
China was our fourth-largest source of new motor vehicles with a total of 5013 vehicles reported as sold in Australia during February, behind South Korea (12,305), Thailand (17,458), and Japan (29,438).
It the second month in a row Chinese vehicles have outsold models from Germany and the US.
The data follows two years of strong growth for Chinese manufacturers, with more than 30,000 vehicles sold in 2020 – a 70.9 per cent increase from 2019.
GWM and LDV together make up 5.9 per cent of the light commercial segment, closing in on Mazda, with 6.1 per cent of the market, and beating Nissan (4.5 per cent share).
Country of origin new-car sales data:
Source country of motor vehicles | February 2021 new-car sales | Percentage change |
Japan | 29,438 | up 20.1 per cent |
Thailand | 17,458 | down 7.9 per cent |
Korea | 12,305 | up 11.3 per cent |
China | 5013 | up 152.4 per cent |
Germany | 3370 | down 41.9 per cent |
England | 2247 | down 3.6 per cent |