日本車在中國銷路回升

Recently the NHK News on-line reported the following:

中国新車販売 日本車シェア回復
4月11日 23時11分

先月の中国での新車の販売台数は、２０３万台余りと、１か月間の数字としては過去最高に上り、このうち乗用車の日本車のシェアは７か月ぶりに１５％台に回復しました。

中国自動車工業協会は１１日、先月の新車の販売台数が、景気の回復を背景に、去年の同じ月より１３．２％増えて、２０３万５０００台余りとなり、１か月間の数字としては過去最高に上ったと発表しました。
このうち乗用車の中で日本車は２３万８０００台余りとなっていて、販売台数は去年の同じ月より１４．３％減少したものの、全体に対するシェアは、前の月より３．２ポイント拡大して１５％ちょうどと、日本政府が沖縄県の尖閣諸島を国有化する以前の去年８月以来、７か月ぶりに１５％台に回復しました。
これに対し、外国車としては最大のシェアを占めるドイツ車や、日本車を激しく追い上げる韓国車は、シェアを落としており、日中関係が冷え込むなか、中国市場でほかの外国メーカーにシェアを奪われてきた日本車がいくぶん盛り返した形となっています。

(試譯文)

The sales number of new car in China last month went up to a little more than 2,030,000 sets, being the highest ever in number in a month; among these the share of the Japanese passenger car had recovered to the15% level, being the first time in seven months.

The China Auto Industry Association announced on the 11th that the sales number of new car last month increased by 13.2% compared to the same month last year against the background of a recovery in business, it became over 2,035,000 sets and had reached the highest number ever in one month.

Among these, the Japanese car was a little more than 238,000 sets in passenger cars. Although the volume of sales decreased by 14.3% compared with the same month last year, yet as a whole in sales, compared with last month, it had expanded 3.2 point and returned exactly to the level of 15%, being the first time in seven months. Before the Japanese government nationalized the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture in August last year it was 15%.

On the other hand, regarding the German car which was occupying the greatest share as a foreign vehicle and the South Korean car which was catching up with the Japanese car closely, their market share had dropped. This could serve as a sign that, in the Chinese market, the Japanese car had regained part of the market share taken by other foreign makers when Japan-China relations became cold.

It seems that Japanese brand names still have some attraction among Chinese consumers.