After an average increase of about 60 percent and a peak rise of 99.7 percent in sales for the first half year of 2006, the Chinese sport utility vehicle (SUV) market nosedived in August with a mere seven percent year-on-year growth for the first eight months of the year.

Statistics show that in the first eight months, the sales of 19 SUV brands totaled 133,615 units, up seven percent year on year. Among them, Great Wall Motor continued to hold the top position with a sales figure of 24,000 units, accounting for 18 percent of the total.

It was followed by Beijing Hyundai and Dongfeng Honda, with sales of 17,300 and 16,900 units respectively, accounting for 12.97 and 12.7 percent of the total. Changfeng Liebao, Beijing Benz-DaimlerChrysler Automotive Co Ltd and Chery Automobile Co Ltd held the next three positions with a market share of 10.1, 7.6 and 6.5 percent respectively.

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The full text is available in the September Issue of AutoChina.

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