中国汽车销售逆势高增长

Amid the gloom of China’s slowing growth, one bright spot has been sales of cars, which have been booming in spite of the broader slowdown, writes Leslie Hook.

在中国经济增速放缓的暗淡背景下，乘用车销售是一大亮点。虽然整体经济形势疲软，汽车销售却持续繁荣。

Car sales to dealerships rose 7.1 per cent in the first half, compared with the same period last year, according to data released yesterday by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

中国汽车工业协会(China Association of Automobile Manufacturers，简称中汽协)昨日公布的数据显示，今年上半年乘用车对渠道销量同比增长7.1%。

This means the sector has outpaced growth in key sectors such as electricity production – up 5.8 per cent in the first five months of the year – or steel output – up 2 per cent in the first six months. In June, sales to dealerships were up 15.8 per cent from the previous year, reaching 1.28m cars. They rose 22.6 per cent in May year on year.

这表明汽车行业增速高于发电（今年前五个月同比增长5.8%）、钢铁（今年上半年同比增长2%）等其他重要行业。6月份乘用车对渠道销量同比增长15.8%，达到128万辆；5月同比增幅则为22.6%。

Although China’s slowing economic growth and cooling construction sector has had a big impact in sectors such as raw materials and heavy machinery, analysts say strong car sales point to the resilience of Chinese consumers and the economic power of the urbanisation trend.

虽然中国整体经济增速放缓和建筑行业降温对原材料以及重型机械等行业产生了重大影响，但分析师指出，汽车销售旺盛凸显中国消费者需求的韧性以及城市化进程产生的经济推动力。

However, the CAAM also acknowledged that inventories at dealerships were rising. Because its monthly sales data reflect sales to dealerships, not end-customers, the strong growth figures do not directly correlate to consumer demand.

但中汽协也承认，经销商的库存呈上升态势。由于中汽协的月度销售数据反映的是面向经销商（而非最终消费者）的销售量，因此强劲的增长数据与消费者需求并不直接相关。

Nevertheless, the CAAM said it expected the Chinese car market – the biggest in the world – to stay strong for the rest of the year with overall annual growth of 5-8 per cent.

不过，中汽协仍预计中国汽车市场（全球规模最大）下半年将保持强劲态势，年度累计增幅达到5%至8%。

General Motors, the biggest car seller in China, posted June sales up 10 per cent year on year, Ford’s June sales rose 18 per cent and BMWreported deliveries up 13 per cent from the previous year.

中国汽车市场份额居首的通用汽车(General Motors)报告称，6月销售量同比增长10%。福特汽车(Ford Motor)6月份销量同比增幅为18%。宝马(BMW)6月份交货量则较上年同期增长了13%。

Separate data released yesterday by the China Passenger Car Association suggested slightly slower growth, with June car sales to consumers up 12.4 per cent from the previous year.

全国乘用车市场信息联席会(China Passenger Car Association)昨日公布的另一组数据显示，中国汽车市场增速略微放缓，6月份乘用车面向消费者的销售量较上年同期增长12.4%。

Most analysts agree that car sales will continue to grow this year, and are set to receive a boost from fuel price cuts. Furthermore, the growing number of cities that limit licence plates is prompting some drivers to rush to buy a car to beat restrictions.

多数分析师认为今年汽车销售将延续增长态势，燃料价格下调也将起到促进作用。此外，限制新车上牌的城市增多，正导致部分消费者赶在限制措施出台之前购车。

Additional reporting by Gwen Chen in Beijing

陈晓敏(Gwen Chen)北京补充报道