SUVs Are Only Game in Town for Automakers in China Amid Slowdown
- SUV sales surge 60% in September, only category to record gain
- Sedan, minivan deliveries slump as industrywide sales slow
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SUV deliveries surged last month in China to become the only passenger-vehicle category to register a sales increase, underscoring how consumer preferences are veering away from traditional lower-riding sedans amid a sharp slowdown.
Sport utility vehicle sales jumped 60 percent to 548,508 units in September, compared with the 11 percent slump in sedan deliveries and 5 percent drop in minivan sales. Light-commercial vehicles, a category of mini-goods carriers often used as passenger transport, tumbled 36 percent, according to retail data released Tuesday by the China Passenger Car Association.