China imports Full Year 2024: Lexus ES, Mercedes GLE and Lexus RX on top
637,506 new cars were imported into China in 2024, a -11.4% or 105,000 units year-on-year drop. Market leader Lexus (+4.1%) defies the negative market with a solid gain and increases the gap with #2 Mercedes (-16.3%) from 20,500 units in 2023 to 52,000 now. BMW (-15.6%), Porsche (-32.4%) and Audi (-19.3%) also fall faster than the market. In contrast Land Rover (-7.4%) resists relatively well while Toyota (+4.9%) actually improves. Volvo (-17.2%), Mini (-28.6%) and Volkswagen (-47.3%) round out the Top 10 in paltry fashion.
Model-wise, the Lexus ES (+2.6%) improves on last year to easily hold onto the pole position. The ES has now been the #1 import ever since we started following this segment of the market back in 2017. The Mercedes GLE (+7.3%) repeats at #2 with a solid score but the Lexus RX (+31.4%) does even better and manage the largest year-on-year gain in the Top 15, overtaking the Porsche Cayenne (-25.6%) to land on the third step of the podium. The Range Rover (+21.7%) surges 10 spots on last year to #5 just as the Land Rover Defender (-10.3%) is the only remaining Top 10 model to beat the market.
