China imports 195000 vehicles in Q1

Gasgoo.com (Shanghai May 13) -According to recently revealed statistics, China imported 195,000 vehicles in the first quarter of this year,China Securities Newsreported today. The amount, which was 40.9 percent higher than last year, exceeded growth in domestic sales by a large margin.

SUVs were the fastest growing import segment, while growth in imports of minivans were much lower and sedans lower still. Regardless, small cars of 3.0 L or lower still made the majority of imports (over 80 percent). The most imported brand was Mercedes-Benz, with BMW and Lexus following behind.

Wang Cun, head of the China Automobile Trading's marketing and sales division, predicted the country to import a total of 800,000 vehicles this year, with 190,000 vehicles coming in next quarter. He said that the effects the Japanese earthquake had on domestic manufacturers may disappear by the third quarter, allowing for Chinese production to increase.

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