Chongqing Changan Automobile Co., Ltd (Changan Automobile) reported that its August sales slumped 34.6% year on year to 134,222 units, while edging up 4.3% from the previous month. For the first eight months, the automaker delivered 1,470,332 vehicles in total, an evident year-on-year decline of 18.1%.
The Changan Automobile's self-owned brand saw its August sales drop 17.5% over the year-ago period to 89,090 units, basically the same as the July performance. With the weather getting cooler, the automaker sees a sale growth prospect in the rest time of the year thanks to such stimulus factors as the back-to-school season and flock launching of new vehicles at the Chengdu Motor Show 2018, etc.
SUV models still held the dominance among all vehicles delivered in August. The sales of the CS55 surged 31.7% month on month to 10,185 units. Changan Automobile will launch the new CS55 with upgraded exterior, interior and facilities on September 12.
The sales of the CS75 presented a month-on-month jump of 17.2% with 7,605 vehicles delivered last month, terminating the consecutive downturn from the previous months. However, only 3,238 units of the CS35 SUV were handed over in August, showing up substantial decline year on year and month on month. At the Chengdu Motor Show 2018, the automaker unveiled the new-generation CS35 called the CS35 PLUS, the first Changan-branded model featuring Tencent's vehicle intelligent-connected system dubbed All in Car. The new model will go on sale in October.
The EADO Series was still the hottest-selling sedan model. In August, the sales of the EADO Series amounted to 9,226 units, skyrocketing 118.5% compared with the same period a year ago. The second-generation of the EADO XT was launched at the Chengdu Motor Show, priced between RMB 77,900 to RMB 109,900.
As to JV performances, Changan Ford saw its August sales tumble 65.9% from a year ago to 23,936, almost halved over the performance made in January. For the first eight months, the Sino-U.S. JV delivered a total of 275,572 vehicles, suffering a year-on-year plunge of 43.8%.
Changan Mazda posted a month-on-month jump of 32.3% with 12,932 vehicles delivered in August. Meanwhile, the automaker's Jan-Aug sales edged down 3.6% over a year ago to 112,948 units. The CX-8 is set to hit the market in the second half of the year. Positioned as a mid-full size SUV model, the CX-8 is expected to further drive the overall sales.
Moreover, Changan Automobile delivered 5,268 NEVs in August, a month-on-month growth of 16.9%. By far, the automaker's cumulative NEV sales have reached 40,950 units this year. Reportedly, there are another two new NEV models, namely, the all-new EADO EV and the CS75 PHEV, to be rolled out in the near future.
