For the first time in 5 years, BSCB will be able to visit the biggest Auto Show in the world: Auto China! This year it is held in Beijing, and I will report on it in detail when the press days are over. Internet connection is unpredictable in China and some websites may be blocked so expect a few days with no updates this week as I’ll be focused on the Auto Show. I’ll be back shortly with more info ..read more

The Toyota Corolla Cross is now #1 year-to-date in Colombia. Holy week celebrations hit the Colombian new car market further in March at -22.6% year-on-year to 13,361 sales. Keep in mind March 2023 was already off -17.2% on the year prior. The Q1 volume is off -14.4% to 40,567. Toyota (-10.5%) resists much better than the market to hold onto the brands pole position with a dominant 16.1% share. Leader last year, Renault (-40.2%) crumbles down to 12.4% share. Chevrolet (-28.7%) is back up to its traditional third place while Mazda (+1.7%) and most strikingly Nissan (+46.9%) defy the plunging ma ..read more

Toyota remains the 2nd best-selling carmaker in Europe. According to preliminary data from ACEA, the European new car market (EU+EFTA+UK) is down -2.8% year-on-year in March to 1,383,410 units vs. 1,423,222 a year ago in March 2023. The Q1 volume is up 4.9% to 3,395,049, 158,500 more sales than over the same period in 2023. Among the Top 5 markets, the UK (+10.4%) is the only one in positive, with France off -1.5%, Italy down -3.7%, Spain down -4.7% and Germany off -6.2%. Year-to-date, the UK is up 10.4%, France and Italy up 5.7%, Germany up 4.2% and Spain up 3.1%. Other great performing marke ..read more

Renault now ranks #3 year-to-date in Uruguay. Pictured: the new Kardian. New light vehicle sales in Uruguay skid -12.3% year-on-year in March to 4,634 units. Yes thanks to a strong start of the year the Q1 tally remains in positive at +5.9% to 13,484. The entire brands podium defies the negative market with double-digit year-on-year gains. Chevrolet (+14.3%) holds onto the top spot with 13.6% share vs. 16.9% so far this year. The American carmaker is followed by Fiat (+12.1%) and Renault (+24.5%), the latter climbing from #6 YTD last month to #3. BYD (+212.9%) is the only additional gainer in ..read more

First Top 10 finish for the BYD Destroyer 05. The selection of models including in this update drop -6.1% year-on-year in March to reach a retail sales figure of 1,469,639 units. The year-to-date tally is still in positive however at +14.2% to 4,634,280 thanks to a fantastic January result (+68.1%). BSCB is the only non-Chinese medium to cover both wholesales (ex-factory shipments) and retail sales data for China so you can get the most complete picture of the largest new car market in the world. Retail sales tend to give a more authentic view of the market as they roughly correspond to regist ..read more

Mini sales buck the negative trend in March. Sales of new imported cars in China skid -16.5% year-on-year in March to 52,807 units, leading to a year-to-date volume down -7.3% to 161,152. Lexus (+47.7%) easily repeats as the #1 brand and catches up on a weak yer-ago performance. Mercedes (-36.9%) freefalls but stays #2, with the Top 4 identical to last month and YTD, with BMW (-14.6%) at #3 and Audi (-15.4%) at #4. Land Rover (-11.6%) climbs two spots to #5, overtaking Porsche (-53.1%) and Toyota (+14.1%). Mini (+16%) also shines at #8.  Over in the models lane, the Top 4 is also the ..read more

The Honda Civic is estimated to rank #2 in Pakistan in March. New locally produced light vehicle sales in Pakistan edge up 0.3% year-on-year in March to 9,379 units. This is a poor result given March 2023 was off -65.6% on the year prior. The Q1 volume is up 14% to 29,624 sales. This is according to local association PAMA. Note not all manufacturers present in Pakistan are members of PAMA such as Kia, Changan and MG notably and therefore don’t appear in these statistics. Note Chery has recently stopped sharing sales data as well. Suzuki (-20.2%) disappoints but still leads the brands ranking b ..read more

Mazda sales are up 82% year-on-year in 2023. The Mauritius new car market soars 16.5% year-on-year in 2023 to a record 14,295 units, beating the previous record of 12,271 established just last year. Suzuki (+25%) tightens its grip on the brands ranking, ascending to 20.4% share vs. 12.6% for the #2, Toyota (+7.7%) trailing the market. Kia (+20.5%) is also in solid shape at #3 whereas Nissan (+5.6%) is weak but overtakes a freefalling Hyundai (-19.6%)  to snap the 4th place. Mazda (+82%) and BMW (+50.3%) lodge the biggest gains in the Top 10 with Mercedes (+23.5%) also very dynamic. In con ..read more

Li Auto Mega It’s now time to study the newcomers in the Chinese wholesales charts. This month we have 8 new models hitting dealerships, 7 of them Chinese. This again illustrate the dynamism of domestic brands vs. foreign once. To fully understand the scope of the Chinese market, make sure you consult our Exclusive Guide to all 184 active Chinese Brands. 1. LI Auto Mega (3,229 sales) LI Auto is one of the success stories of the past couple of years. Launched in January 2020, the brand managed a stellar 50,354 sales in December 2023 alone. This with very similarly designed SUVs: the L7, L8 and ..read more

The garage is a corner often overlooked in our daily lives, but by introducing hexagon led garage lights, you will breathe new life into this space. This blog will guide you on how to use hexagon lights for a diy garage transformation. 1. Materials and Hexagon Garage Lights Selection Before embarking on your DIY garage makeover, gather essential materials and tools, including: Hexagon Led garage lights with accompanying ties, sockets, screws Basic tools like screwdrivers, drills Electrical materials such as wires, junction boxes Auxiliary tools like ladders, measuring devices When choosing he ..read more