In 2022, 131 new cars were presented or launched. The count excludes rebadged models, facelifts, and concepts, but includes all production cars presented to the public worldwide.
The most interesting thing about this balance is that new cars produced by Chinese manufacturers represent 47 percent of the total.
Calculations from January 1, 2022, indicate that 62 new models have arrived from China, with an average of five new vehicles per month. SAIC is the manufacturer that has introduced the most innovations on the market, with 10 different new models. Following are Geely with eight models and Great Wall with six debuts.
Toyota In The Lead
Toyota is the group that unveiled the most vehicles in 2022. The Japanese company has in fact launched 11 new models which include four SUVs, three sedans, three MPVs, and one city car. It is the same number of new cars launched by Toyota in 2021, again under the Toyota, Lexus, and Daihatsu brands.
Second is SAIC with a total of 10 new models divided between six SUVs, two sedans, one five-door hatchback, and an MPV. General Motors is also at 10, thanks to the Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC brands. Next up is Honda with eight new cars that include, among others, the new generations of Accord, CR-V, and Pilot.
Stellantis is the European group with the highest number of debuts. The Alfa Romeo Tonale, Citroen C4 X, Fiat Fastback, Jeep Avenger, Maserati Grecale, and Peugeot 408 are among them, but the new Maserati GranTurismo is excluded because the interiors have not been revealed yet. Volkswagen also totaled six debuts counting an Audi for China, the Skoda Enyaq Coupé, two VWs for China, the new Amarok, and ID.Buzz. Further back we find BMW and Mercedes-Benz with four new products each and then Suzuki, Ford, and Hyundai with three.
67 Are SUVs
As expected, SUVs continued to dominate the debut list, reaching a 51 percent share of new cars unveiled in 2022. Manufacturers such as SAIC, Geely, Honda, and Stellantis prevail in this ranking.
More detached are the new sedans, the four-door sedans that survive above all thanks to the demand of the Chinese market. In all, 23 sedans were presented in 2022 and 12 of these are available only in China.
A bit surprisingly, there were 16 new MPVs in 2022 despite the decline in sales of minivans and MPVs in Europe and North America. As with sedans, half of these new models will not leave the Chinese market.
Rounding out the statistics are eight new city cars, seven pickups, six sedans, and four sports cars which include the new Ford Mustang, GAC Aion Hyper SSR, Pagani Utopia, and Rolls-Royce Spectre.
The author of the article, Felipe Munoz, is an Automotive Industry Specialist at JATO Dynamics.
