Shanghai (ZXZC)- For the first half of 2021, there were 493,837 imported passenger vehicles (PVs) delivered in China, representing a 14.4% growth mainly thanks to the low base for the year-ago period, according to the Sinomach Automobile Co.,Ltd., China's largest dealer of imported vehicles.

To be specific, the semi-annual deliveries of imported cars and SUVs rose 30.7% and 4.5% respectively to 228,217 and 250,064 units, while the MPV segment suffered a 12% decrease with 15,556 units delivered.

Lexus ES; photo credit: Lexus

Affected by the chip shortage and the suspension of auto parallel import, China's deliveries of imported PVs edged down 0.6% from a year ago to 87,949 units in June, including 41,410 cars (+15.6% YoY), 43,748 SUVs (-10.1% YoY), and 2,791 MPVs (-30.8% YoY).

With 444,246 vehicles delivered, luxury brands accounted for 90% of the country’s first-half deliveries of imported PVs. Besides, ultra-luxury brands recorded a 64% surge with 4,001 imported vehicles handed over during the Jan.-Jun. period, while the delivery volume of non-luxury brands tumbled 48.3% to 45,590 units.

According to the Sinomach Automobile, luxury brands encompass Alfa Romeo, Audi, BMW, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar, Cadillac, Lexus, Land Rover, Maserati, MINI, Acura, Smart, Tesla, Volvo, and Infiniti. Ultra-luxury brands include Aston Martin, Ferrari, Bentley, Lamborghini, Rolls-Royce, and McLaren.

Among the top 10 brands by the semi-annual deliveries of imported PVs, Lexus ranked highest with a delivery volume of 122,976 units. Compared to the prior-year period, Toyota and Volkswagen were the only two logging decrease primarily due to the halt of auto parallel import. With a 110.2% hike, Audi was the fastest-growing one. The other seven brands all scored double-digit increase.