Light bus market growth slips By Shangguan Zhoudong (chinadaily.com.cn) Updated: 2006-08-11 13:50
China's light bus industry recorded 96,004 sales in the first half of this
year, up 14.47 percent from the same period last year, nearly 100 percent higher
than the growth rate of the commercial vehicle market, but China Light Vehicle
Market Analysis Association chairman Gao Yunhang predicted the growth would slip
in the second half of this year.
"The 96,004 sales was not accurate, because distributors have overstocked,
some of the light buses didn't go on sale in retail terminal markets" Gao said.
"Distributors won't have the capabilities to get new supplies in the second half
of this year," he added.
According to Gao, after the implement of new consumption tax policies on
April 1 this year, the tax on light buses which have a 2.0-liter gas engine or
2.5-liter diesel engine was increased from nine to 12 percent, in order to
reduce tax pressure on distributors. Light bus companies encouraged distributors
to get new supplies at better prices before April 1, so China's light bus sales
recorded its highest 20,456 sales in March in the first half of this year.
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The full text is available in the August Issue of AutoChina. (For more biz stories, please visit Industry Updates)
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