China’s slowdown: even when it’s bad, it’s still pretty good

Sales of new vehicles in China ended 2014 at 23.49 million units, according to figures from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM). While that represents a solid 6.9% year-on-year growth rate, it is hardly the double-digit figures the industry has seen in the past and about half the 13.9% rate seen the year before. Broken down by segment, passenger car sales rose 9.9% last year to 19.7 million units, with a 6.5% fall in commercial vehicle sales to 3.79 million units.