The Chinese market declined by 23% in the first quarter of 2026
- The Chinese passenger car market contracted by 23% in the first three months of 2026 compared to the first three months of 2025. This is the largest drop in car sales recorded in China since the Covid crisis . Here are the official figures:
1. 4,013,180 passenger cars produced in China and sold in China in the first quarter of 2026, compared to 5,240,638 units in the first quarter of 2025, representing a decrease of 23.4%.
2. 5,934,096 passenger cars produced in China and sold worldwide in the first quarter of 2026, compared to 6,418,820 units sold in the first three months of 2025 , representing a decline of 7.6%.
3. 1,920,916 units exported to foreign markets in the first quarter of 2026, compared to 1,178,182 units exported in the first three months of 2025 , representing an increase of 63%.
- In fact, today, exports from China account for one-third of Chinese automobile production. At the current rate, automobile exports from China could reach 7 million units in 2026, compared to 6 million in 2025 and 5 million in 2024.
- Regarding the Chinese market, it should be able to rebound in the second half of 2026, as at the current rate, its volume for the year as a whole could be the weakest since 2020. However, China is currently experiencing significant deflationary pressures as well as the consequences of the war in the Middle East (oil supply), which could jeopardize a genuine market recovery in the second half of 2026. April remains a very weak month (sales in China down 25.5%).