Shijiazhuang Customs reports that Hebei province ranks second in China, behind Anhui province, in car exports. According to Shijiazhuang Customs statistics, auto exports from Hebei province in the first seven months of 2010 totaled 30,000, valued at $260 million.

The auto export market had declined in Hebei province during the first eight months of 2009, but the situation changed for the better in September and in December 2009, compared with the same period in 2008. Hebei’s automobile exports amounted to 6,000 in June 2010, and 6,427 in July--the best performance since July 2008.

Asian and African markets are the largest markets for Hebei’s automobiles, but automobile exports to Latin America and Oceania skyrocketed in the past seven months. Automobile exports to Latin America totaled 6,990, a 3.8-fold increase over the same period last year. Exports to Oceania totaled 4,930, a 3.1-fold increase.

In addition, the category of automobiles has also diversified in the past seven months. While trucks were the dominant automotive exports in previous years, the amount of car and bus sales increased measurably this year.

By Audrey and Liu Xi