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China Sales Tracker - Definitions

This is a guide on what each metric, column, filter or feature means within the China Sales Tracker

L
Written by Liam Rogan
Updated over a month ago

What is the China Sales Tracker?

The China Sales Tracker provides a consolidated view of the Chinese automotive market (inc. both ICE and BEV).

It provides the ability to compare to previous dates so you can see how the market is tracking over time vs demand algorithms.

It provides clear views on which data is forecast vs actually reported and is updated daily as datasets become available.


What is the layout of the China Sales Tracker?


Metrics definitions

Volumes (Production)

Total number of vehicles produced (factory line‑off units) in the selected scope and period

Volumes (Wholesale)

Total number of wholesale units in the selected scope and period (OEM shipments to dealers or equivalent)

Volumes (Retail)

Total number of retail units sold in the selected scope and period (end‑customer sales; in China this usually reflects insurance / registration data)

Volumes (Export)

Total number of export units (units exported from Greater China) in the selected scope and period (no normalisation or index applied)

Absolute (Retail & Export)

Total number of vehicles either sold at retail or exported in the selected scope and period (see descriptions for Retail and Export for detailed explanations)

OEM Inventory

Estimated number of fully manufactured vehicles held by the OEM but not yet sold into retail channels. This includes vehicles in OEM storage facilities, distribution centres, or in-transit to dealers, but excludes units still in production

Dealer Inventory

Estimated number of vehicles in dealer stock for the selected scope and period

SAAR adjusted

Seasonally Adjusted Annualised Rate - Proprietary demand algorithm forecast based on 1 month adjusted historical demand trends

Market share (% total)

Share of total market volumes in the selected scope (for example an OEM's share of total market), expressed as a percentage

Market share (% parent)

Share of volumes within the parent group or segment (for example a brand's share of its parent OEM's volumes), expressed as a percentage


Column definitions

Company

Corporate group responsible for the vehicle (for example Volkswagen Group, General Motos, SAIC)

Brand

Vehicle brand name as marketed to customers (for example Volkswagen, Buick, BYD)

Model

Vehicle model or nameplate (for example Model 3, F‑150, Corolla).

Global / Local

Splits between vehicles from local manufacturers and global manufacturers. For China Apps local would be Chinese HQ manufacturers (BYD, Geely, Xpeng etc) and Global would be ex China manufacturers (Volkswagen, BMW)

Company Region

Geographical region associated with the OEM group headquarters or primary business region. Used for grouping rather than vehicle assembly location. For example Europe would include Volkswagen, BMW, Mercedes etc

Ownership (Cons./JV)

Indicates whether the brand or model is produced under a wholly owned entity or a joint venture. Common in China where foreign OEMs partner with local manufacturers

Propulsion

Propulsion type of the vehicle (for example Internal combustion engine (ICE), BEV, PHEV, HEV, EREV


Vendor Filter definitions

Company-Brand-Model

Filters data by organisational hierarchy, allowing users to restrict results to specific OEM groups, brands, or individual models

Global/Local

Filter separating Chinese domestic manufacturers from global (international) OEMs to compare performance of local vs foreign brands in China

Company Region

Filter limiting results to companies headquartered in selected world regions such as Europe, North America, or China

Ownership (Cons.JV)

Filter that restricts results by ownership structure, enabling isolation of jointly produced models versus wholly owned OEM output

Propulsion

Filter that narrows the dataset by propulsion type so users can focus on internal combustion, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, range extender, or battery electric volumes

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