The "zero batch" hit a new high in September of previous years, marking the end of the "golden nine" in the automotive market. On October 13th, the China Automobile Dealers Association Passenger Car Market Information Joint Branch (hereinafter referred to as the "Passenger Car Federation Branch") released data showing that in September of this year, the retail and wholesale volume of the national passenger car market reached a historical high for the month, and the retail and wholesale volume increased by more than 10% month on month. As the starting point of the 'Golden September and Silver October', the situation of the car market in September this year is crucial for the entire year's car market, "said Lang Xuehong, Deputy Secretary General of the China Automobile Dealers Association (hereinafter referred to as the" Dealers Association "). September's car market is in good condition, which means that the fourth quarter can have a higher ending. According to statistics from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, the cumulative retail sales in the first nine months of this year reached 17.005 million vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 9.2%. Cui Dongshu, Secretary General of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, stated that strong hedging and balancing measures supported the economy and the auto market in the first three quarters. With the differentiation of subsidy policies for trade in among provinces, the growth rate of sales between regions has differentiated, with some regions experiencing a year-on-year increase of over 11% in sales in August. Driven by favorable policy measures, the first three quarters continued to improve, which also led to a resurgence of the "golden nine" in the automotive market. According to officials from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, retail, export, wholesale, and production of passenger cars all reached a record high in September this year. From the data, we can more intuitively see the quality of the "Golden Nine" in the car market. Data shows that the retail sales of passenger cars in China reached 2.241 million units in September this year, a year-on-year increase of 6.3% and a month on month increase of 11%; The wholesale volume of manufacturers reached 2.803 million vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 12.4% and a month on month increase of 13%; The export of passenger cars (including complete vehicles and CKD) was 528000 units, a year-on-year increase of 20.7% and a month on month increase of 5.7%. Cui Dongshu stated that compared to the historical high of 2.19 million units sold in September 2017, the retail sales in September this year were 50000 units higher, showing strong growth characteristics before the policy exit at the end of the year. From the perspective of brand structure, domestic brands are still the "main engine" of the market. According to statistics, the retail sales of domestic brands reached 1.5 million vehicles in September this year, a year-on-year increase of 13% and a month on month increase of 12.9%; The domestic retail share of independent brands was 66.9%, a year-on-year increase of 3.6 percentage points. On the other hand, joint ventures and luxury brands have shown growth month on month, but year-on-year data have shown varying degrees of decline. Cui Dongshu believes that independent brands have achieved significant scene richness and functional improvement, thus gaining full recognition from consumers. In the high-end luxury market segment, from the performance of independent brands, the phenomenon of replacing German high-end cars is extremely obvious. Among domestic brands, state-owned conglomerates have shown strong sales growth in their domestic brands. According to statistics from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, in September of this year, the sales of independent brands of five major state-owned groups including SAIC, Dongfeng, Changan, Chery, and BAIC increased by a total of 25% year-on-year. Officials from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) stated that major groups such as Deep Blue, Lantu, and Jihu have also shown strong growth in their independently created second-generation vehicles. New energy vehicles lead the way in the domestic car market, with new energy passenger vehicles continuing to lead. According to data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, the production of new energy passenger vehicles reached 1.501 million units in September this year, a year-on-year increase of 22.9% and a month on month increase of 17.5%; The wholesale volume reached 1.5 million vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 22.4% and a month on month increase of 15.9%; The retail sales of new energy passenger vehicles reached 1.296 million units, a year-on-year increase of 15.5% and a month on month increase of 16.2%. On the retail end, the domestic penetration rate of new energy vehicles reached 57.8% in September this year. Cui Dongshu stated that the new energy passenger vehicle market has shown steady growth under the background of inclusive policies such as scrapping updates, replacement updates, and exemption from purchase tax for new energy. In addition, the export volume of new energy vehicles has reached a historical high in each month of the year. Data shows that in September of this year, new energy passenger vehicle manufacturers exported 211000 vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 96.5% and a month on month increase of 3.9%. In Cui Dongshu's view, with the emergence of China's scale advantage in new energy vehicles and the demand for market expansion, more and more Chinese made new energy brand products are going abroad, and their recognition overseas continues to increase. It is worth mentioning that car companies that went to Hong Kong for IPOs this year have all stated that a portion of the funds raised will be used to expand into overseas markets in the future. Under the rapid sales of new energy passenger vehicles, the market structure has also undergone changes. According to statistics, the wholesale volume of pure electric vehicles in September this year increased by 32.4% year-on-year, plug-in hybrid models increased by 8.4% year-on-year, and extended range models increased by 8.7% year-on-year. In terms of proportion, pure electric vehicles accounted for 63% in September this year, a double increase compared to the previous month and year. On the other hand, the proportion of plug-in hybrid vehicles is 28%, which has decreased both month on month and year on year; The proportion of extended range vehicles is only 9%, a year-on-year decline. Pure electric models have become the main force in the sales structure of new car manufacturers. Data shows that the retail share of new forces in September this year was 20.2%, a year-on-year increase of 3.4 percentage points. Among them, pure electric sales accounted for 70.3%, and the proportion of sales in the 100000-150000 yuan range of pure electric vehicles by new car making forces has increased significantly. In terms of structural proportion, the proportion of pure electric and extended range structures in the sales of new car manufacturers in September this year has increased from 50% last year? 50% to 70%? 30%. The "internal competition" in the car market has cooled down and sales have improved, and the car market is also trending towards healthy competition. In the past two years, the "price war" in the car market has become increasingly fierce. Data shows that last year, the car market reduced the price of 227 models, far exceeding the 148 models in 2023. Previously, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers issued a statement regarding "internal competition", stating that the disorderly "price war" intensifies vicious competition, which will further squeeze the profit margins of enterprises, thereby affecting product quality and after-sales service guarantee. This not only hinders the healthy development of the industry itself, but also endangers consumer rights and interests, and brings safety hazards. At present, the price war in the car market has begun to cool down. According to statistics, 23 car models were reduced in price in September this year, a decrease of 11 models compared to the same period last year. In terms of price, the promotion of new energy vehicles in September this year remained at 10.2%; The promotion of traditional fuel vehicles is 23.9%. Cui Dongshu stated that the anti involution wave is driving the car market to shift towards a direction of "reduced price reductions and smooth promotions", and the operation of the car market is becoming increasingly stable. With the continuous deepening of anti involution work, leading car companies are striving to maintain relative stability in market prices and ensure the gradual improvement of funds in the industrial chain. According to a survey by the Circulation Association, 45.2% of dealers had new car sales that met or exceeded expectations in September this year. Lang Xuehong stated that under a series of anti internal competition initiatives, government voices have also affected the market, resulting in some changes. Prices in the car market have begun to show signs of stabilization, and dealer operating conditions have improved. In addition, the inventory in the car market is also stabilizing. According to statistics, the inventory warning index of Chinese automobile dealers in September this year was 54.5%, a decrease of 2.5 percentage points compared to the previous month. According to relevant personnel from the Circulation Association, the concentrated release of demand for family car purchases, weddings, and self driving during the new school season in September this year has significantly improved the efficiency of order conversion through end of season promotions by dealers and customer acquisition at local auto shows. The quality of the "Golden September" is basically in line with expectations, and the intensive holding of local autumn auto shows combined with the continuous promotion of consumption policies in various regions has effectively driven a significant increase in orders and sales in the second half of September this year. After entering the "Silver Ten" cycle and achieving the "Golden Nine", the car market also entered the "Silver Ten" cycle. According to incomplete statistics, over 70 new cars were intensively launched in the domestic car market in September this year, including their launch, debut, and pre-sale. A reporter from Beijing Business Daily visited the car market and learned that during this year's National Day and Mid Autumn Festival holidays, new cars gathered in stores as the main source of orders, bringing a hot scene to the "National Day" car market. According to relevant sources from SAIC Volkswagen, the newly launched models are transforming into new momentum and opening up a new market situation. In the just passed National Day week, the passenger flow of SAIC Volkswagen terminals in various regions increased, and both Volkswagen brand and SAIC Audi experienced strong month on month growth in order volume. The stronger the product strength, the better the effect of driving the development of the car market, so car companies also rely more on new cars for continuous development, resulting in an increasing scale of new car launches. ”Cui Dongshu stated that with the strong launch of new products, the comprehensive competitiveness of new cars in one step is very strong, which drives the rapid increase of short-term star products, maintains high competition vitality in the industry, and drives the continuous release of consumption. At the same time as the vitality of the "Silver Ten" in the automobile market is stimulated, the automobile consumption index also provides a more intuitive prediction of the quality of the "Silver Ten". The data shows that the automobile consumption index in September this year was 88.9, a month on month increase. Yang Hong, director of the Industry Coordination Working Committee of the Circulation Association, introduced that the automobile consumption index in September was higher than last month, which means that automobile sales in October will exceed those in September and achieve a month on month increase. When talking about the reasons, Yang Hong said that firstly, at the policy level, the "two new" policies have continued to exert force this year, playing a positive role in driving automobile consumption. It is reported that the fourth batch of subsidy funds for trade in will be issued in October this year. According to statistics, as of September 10th, the number of applications for car trade ins has reached 8.3 million. In addition, Yang Hong believes that the launch of the new car combined with the National Day Auto Show has further stimulated consumers' enthusiasm for consumption. At the same time, as dealers enter the year-end sprint stage, their promotional efforts will continue to increase. Under the combined effect of these factors, the demand in the car market will continue to rise, and it is expected that the number of customers and sales entering stores in October will further increase compared to September. (New Society)