Statistics of China Bus & Coach Sales from Jan. to Apr. 2009

According to the statistics released by China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), the market demand for bus & coach product continued its rising momentum and the sales-output ratio stood at 100.01% in Apr. Compared with statistics in Mar., the large- and medium-sized buses posted relatively marked increase. In addition, diesel engine powered and new energy powered buses delivered impressively good performances.

In Apr. alone, the whole bus industry delivered 26,900 units of buses to customers, up by 8.22% m/m and down by 13.02% y/y. Compared with the statistics of the same period last year, the large- and medium-sized buses & coaches still witnessed a sharp decline in their sales volume. The total number of large-sized buses (its sales-output ratio: 100.98%) sold stood at 3,925 units, up by 52.55% m/m and down by 27.98% y/y. The medium-sized buses (its sales-output ratio: 102.33%) sold 5,281 units, up by 30.56% m/m and down by 23.36% y/y. The small-sized buses (its sales-output ratio: 99.13%) sold 17,687 units, down by 2.99% m/m and by 4.80% y/y. 

From Jan. to Apr. in 2009, China sold 87,300 units of buses & coaches in total, down by 19.31% y/y and the sales-output ratio reached 104.49%. The sales-output ratio stood at 104.49% for the first four months. The sales volumes of large-, medium- and small-sized buses & coaches registered at 11,200 units, 15,600 units and 60,500 units respectively, down by 36.35%, 32.23% and 10.45% y/y. Their respective sales-output ratio stood at 102.36%, 101.18% and 105.79% respectively.  

 
In terms of sales region, only the northwest China registered slight increase while the rest five regions posted declines of varied degrees in the first four months. Statistics show that the sales volume stood at 5,791 units in northwest China, up by 5.98% y/y; 7,548 units in northeast China, down by 6.80% y/y; 11,840 units in north China, down by 28.82% y/y; 24,499 units in east China, down by 20.87% y/y; 12,865 units in central-south China, down by 19.39% y/y; and 7,819 units in southwest China, down by 8.89% y/y. 

The majority of segments in bus & coach market were still in the doldrums in the first four months. The small-sized buses sold 41,033 units, down by 3.94% y/y; the city buses 11,228 units, down by 28.79% y/y; the long-distance coach 13,398 units, down by 32.61% y/y; tourism coaches 3,764 units, down by 23.12% y/y; special-purpose buses 777 units, down by 48.68% y/y; and articulated buses 62 units, down by 93.29% y/y.

From Jan. to Apr., the top ten best-performing bus builders are Brilliance Jinbei (22,872 units), JMC (8,997 units), Nanjing Iveco (7,296 units), Beiqi Foton (7,110 units), Zhengzhou Yutong (6,224 units), Xiamen Golden Dragon (3,820 units), Suzhou Higer (3,765 units), Xiamen Kinglong (3,036 units), Shaolin (2,558 units), and Zhongtong (1,473 units). Compared with the same period last year, Brilliance Jinbei and Beiqi Foton are the best performer among the top ten. Zhengzhou Yutong, Xiamen Kinglong, Xiamen Golden Dragon, and Suzhou Higer, formerly the top four players in China’s bus & coach industry, took the lead in this round of downturn. The sales volume of the top ten players combined stood at 67,200 units, accounting for 77% of the total number of market transactions. 

In Apr., the top ten best-performing bus builders are Brilliance Jinbei (6,448 units), Beiqi Foton (2,478 units), Zhengzhou Yutong (2,428 units), JMC (2,263 units), Nanjing Iveco (1,900 units), Suzhou Higer (1,334 units), Xiamen Golden Dragon (1,209 units), Xiamen Kinglong (1,082 units), Shaolin (891 units) and Zhongtong (436 units). Compared with statistics in Mar., JMC and Nanjing Iveco posted the sharpest decline while Brilliance Jinbei and Xiamen Golden Dragon dipped slightly. The rest companies managed to keep their growing momentum. Suzhou Higer, Xiamen Kinglong, Shaolin and Zhengzhou Yutong registered the highest growth rate. The sales volume of the top ten companies combined totaled 20,500 units, accounting for 76% of the whole market sales volume in China.