The leader of the auto market is still the oldest brand Volkswagen to take the top 3 sales this year

Asia Automotive Resources, a leading automotive market research company in China and Southeast Asia, has released monthly research reports. The report shows that although the speed of new product launches by Chinese auto makers has been accelerating since last year, from January to September this year, the best-selling cars in the Chinese market are the familiar old brands Jetta, Santana, and Passat. Xiali was squeezed out of the top three and ranked 4-5 with Santana 2000.

However, the above brands are facing fierce competition from new brands. Data show that sales growth is fastest compared to the same period of last year
The three auto brands are Chang'an Suzuki's antelope, Dongfeng Citroen's Elysee and Shanghai GM's Buick Regal, with growth rates of 168%, 164%, and 144%.

The leadership positions of Shanghai Volkswagen, FAW-Volkswagen and Shanghai GM remained stable, with market share of 19.7%, 14% and 9.1% respectively. However, the report points out that the largest dark horse in 2003 was Hyundai Motor Co. China’s two joint ventures, Beijing Hyundai and Dongfeng Yueda Kia, achieved sales of 76,585 vehicles in China in the first nine months of this year, a four-fold increase over the same period of last year. The market share of 5.2% is the fastest growing auto manufacturer in 2003. This share is close to Guangzhou Honda (5.6%) and Dongfeng Sign Citroen (5.5%). South Korea's Hyundai has undoubtedly signaled to European, American and Japanese auto giants that they will strike in the Chinese market.