Zhejiang Geely Holding Group sold 730,000 vehicles in the January-March period to become the first Chinese carmaker to break into the global top 10 in auto sales for the quarter, reports Nikkei Asia. The Geely group, which had placed 12th in the first quarter of 2023, passed Germany’s Mercedes-Benz Group and BMW to come in 10th with sales volume climbing 27% on the year.
Fellow Chinese automakers BYD, Changan Automobile, Chery Automobile and SAIC Motor ranked in the top 20. The global sales rankings were compiled from company disclosures and data from survey firm MarkLines.
With the extended Lunar New Year holiday falling in the quarter, Chinese carmakers have fewer days to make sales and tend to underperform against global counterparts. But in the first quarter of 2024, the five Chinese players in the top 20 saw combined sales volume surge more than 20%. Overall sales growth for the top 20 carmakers came to 2%.
