China auto makers gain market share as October shipments rise 13%

Wholesale deliveries of passenger vehicles rose 13% to 1.94 million autos in October following a cut to China’s car-purchase tax, Bloomberg reported, citing figures from the state-backed China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. Chinese automakers – which have gained this year after introducing cheaper sport utility vehicles to compete with foreign brands’ sedans – outperformed the market, boosting their share of sales by 2.1 percentage points from a year earlier. “The effect from the purchase sales tax cut has been positive and should last for a few months,” said Yang Jing, a Shanghai-based associate director at Fitch Ratings.