Only Guangzhou Honda, FAW Toyota sales up in May

Shanghai, Of the top 14 passenger car makers in China, only Guangzhou Honda and FAW Toyota saw their monthly sales increase in May from the previous month, amid the pervasive auto sales depression as a result of the devastating earthquake on May 12, a report from China Association of Passenger Vehicles said yesterday.

Guangzhou Honda sold 27,687 vehicles in May, up 16.1% from April. The growth was led by its top selling Accord in the mid- to high-end market segment, with a total of 15,923 sold during the month. Sales of Odyssey and City were 3,088 units and 5,579 units respectively, also very impressive.

FAW Toyota sold 33,941 vehicles compared with April's 32,441 units. Corolla was the top seller in the mid-class auto market with sales of 15,230 units while Jetta stayed No. 1 in sales of all car models with 16,232 units sold.

FAW VW continues to hold the top sales title with 41,796 vehicles sold, becoming the only automaker which broke the 40,000 mark, followed by Shanghai VW, Shanghai GM, FAW Toyota and Chery Auto.

The report attributes the poor sales performance mainly to the 8.0 magnitude earthquake that struck the province of Sichuan on May 12. Auto sales and production in and around the province were all affected.