Evolution of SUV and MPV sales in China between 2000 and 2022
- SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle) sales in China have grown significantly since the early 2000s, driven by strong carmaker marketing. While their market share was close to 0% in the year 2000, it rose to 10% in 2010, then 30% in 2015, 40% in 2017 and 47% since 2020. The share of SUVs seems to be levelling off just below 50% despite a considerable offer of this type of model on the Chinese market.
- In volume, SUV sales have grown from virtually zero in the year 2000 to 2 million in 2012, 4 million in 2014, 10 million in 2017 and finally 11 million in 2022. The slight drop in SUV sales in 2018, 2019 and 2020 is due to an overall decline of the Chinese market during those three years. With the expected increase of the Chinese market and a market share that is probably stabilizing, the sales volume of SUVs is bound to increase further for a few years.
- On the other hand, sales of MPVs (Multi Purpose Vehicles) in China have fallen significantly since 2017 but they have increased until 2016, contrary to what happened in Europe and the United States. Specifically to China, the SUVs and MPVs sales growth took place in parallel until 2016. Then MPV customers turned to sedans and SUVs.
- MPVs market share, which peaked at 10% in 2016, gradually fell to 8% in 2017, 7% in 2018, 6% in 2019, 5% in 2020 and 2021, then 4% in 2022. The sales decline of MPV seems inevitable. In this context, sedans represent 49% of the Chinese market in 2022, compared to 61% in 2015, 81% in 2012, 90% in 2009 and 92% in 2005.