SHANGHAI: China’s automobile sales in January tumbled 15.8 percent from a year earlier, the country’s top auto industry association said on Monday, as the world’s largest auto market hits the skids with the slump in sales extending to the seventh month.
China’s Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) said in an emailed statement to Reuters that sales dropped to 2.37 million vehicles last month. This follows a 13 percent drop in December and a 14 percent fall in November.
“Car sales in January continued to decline, and there was no sign of improvement. We estimate that February wholesales will also drop sharply” said Xu Haidong, CAAM assistant secretary general.
“The reason for the sales drop is still the slowing overall economy, and consumption decline in small and medium-sized cities” Xu said.
China has been grappling with slowing economic growth as well as the fallout of trade frictions with the United States, forces which contributed to its auto market contracting for the first time in more than two decades last year.
Beijing is now trying to persuade consumers to loosen their purse strings and has pledged to provide subsidies to boost rural sales of some vehicles and purchases of new energy vehicles.
“Q1 sales were good last year, so this year the industry expects to have negative growth in the first quarter” Yale Zhang, head of consultancy AutoForesight, said, but he predicts sales to gradually pick up in the next three quarters.
Industry executives also say China’s car sales in January and February tend to be affected by the Lunar New Year holiday, as consumers hold off on their car purchasing decisions around the festival.
The holiday’s dates change annually but tend to occur in either month. It took place in the first week of February this year.
China’s sales of new energy vehicles, however, continued to buck the trend, totaling 95,700 in January, a year-on-year increase of 140 percent, CAAM said.
China’s car sales decline deepens, road ahead bumpy
China’s car sales decline deepens, road ahead bumpy
- ‘Car sales in January continued to decline, and there was no sign of improvement’
- China has been grappling with slowing economic growth as well as the fallout of trade frictions with the US
Closing Bell: Saudi main market closes the week in red at 10,526
RIYADH: Saudi equities ended Thursday’s session modestly lower, with the Tadawul All Share Index slipping 14.63 points, or 0.14 percent, to close at 10,526.09.
The MSCI Tadawul 30 Index also declined 3.66 points, or 0.26 percent, to 1,389.66. In contrast, the parallel market outperformed, as Nomu jumped 237.72 points, or 1.02 percent, to close at 23,430.93.
Market breadth on the main market remained tilted to the downside, with 156 stocks ending lower against 99 gainers.
Trading activity eased further, with volumes reaching 80.46 million shares and total traded value amounting to SR1.66 billion ($442 million).
On the movers’ board, Saudi Industrial Export Co. led the gainers, rising 6.6 percent to SR2.10, followed by Consolidated Grunenfelder Saady Holding Co., which advanced 6.43 percent to SR9.60.
Raoom Trading Co. climbed 4.36 percent to SR61.05, while Astra Industrial Group gained 4.35 percent to close at SR139. Riyadh Cables Group Co. added 3.77 percent to end the session at SR135.00.
On the downside, Methanol Chemicals Co. topped the losers’ list, falling 5.96 percent to SR7.41.
Flynas Co. retreated 5.43 percent to SR61.00, while Leejam Sports Co. dropped 5 percent to close at SR100.80.
Alramz Real Estate Co. slipped 4.64 percent to SR55.50, and Almasane Alkobra Mining Co. declined 4.55 percent to SR84.00.
On the announcement front, ACWA Power said it has completed the financial close for the Ras Mohaisen First Water Desalination Co., a reverse osmosis desalination project with a capacity of up to 300,000 cubic meters per day, alongside associated potable water storage facilities totaling 600,000 cubic meters in Saudi Arabia’s Western Province.
The project was financed through a consortium of local and international banks, with total funding of SR2.07 billion and a tenor of up to 29.5 years, while ACWA Power holds an effective 45 percent equity stake.
Shares of ACWA Power ended the session at SR185.90, up SR0.2, or 0.11 percent.
Meanwhile, Consolidated Grunenfelder Saady Holding Co. announced the sign-off of a customized solutions project with Saudi Aramco Nabors Drilling Co., valued at SR166.0 million excluding VAT.
The 24-month contract covers the sale and maintenance of field camp facilities, with the financial impact expected to begin from the first quarter of 2026.
