For the year of 2021, there were 939,109 imported passenger vehicles PVs) delivered across China, representing a 6.1% decrease year-over-year, according to the Sinomach Automobile Co., Ltd., China's largest dealer of imported vehicles.

To be specific, the annual deliveries of imported cars grew 2.5% from the previous year to 413,311 units, while the SUV and MPV segments posted 11.4% and 18.3% decrease respectively with 493,464 and 32,334 vehicles delivered.

UX 300e; photo credit: Lexus

The full-year deliveries were lower than expected due to the chip supply constraint, the coronavirus disease, and the implementation of the China VI emission standards, said Sinomach Automobile.

China's deliveries of imported PVs in Dec. slumped 34.3% from a year ago to 78,283 units. affected by the chip shortage, the COVID-19 resurgence, and the high base for the year-ago period, while jumped 21.8% month on month thanks to the sales promotion dealerships offered for the year-end sprint.

Of the imported PVs delivered last year, 843,713 units were under luxury car brands, representing a 4.9% year-on-year upward movement. Luxury brands consist of Alfa Romeo, Audi, BMW, Porsche, Mercedes Benz, Jaguar, Cadillac, Lexus, Land Rover, Maserati, MINI, Acura, smart, Tesla, Volvo, Infiniti, etc.

Nine of the top 10 auto brands by Dec. deliveries of imported PVs posted a year-on-year decrease amid chip crunch and coronavirus resurgence. Both Toyota and Audi were struggled with a decline of over 40%.

In terms of yearly imported PV deliveries, the top 3 brands were still Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, and BMW. Among the top 10 brands, Lexus, Toyota, and Volkswagen were the only three posting downturn year-over-year. With a 37.7% increase, Audi was the fastest-growing one.