South Korean media: Global auto market grew by 4.6% in the first quarter, with China contributing significantly! On June 11, the Busan Daily, a South Korean media outlet, published an article stating that although the global auto market set a high growth rate in the first quarter, there is analysis suggesting that U.S. tariff policies could become a downside risk for the global auto market for the remainder of this year. According to "Recent Status and Major Issues of the Auto Market" released by Lee Ho, senior researcher at the Korea Automotive Research Institute, global car sales in 59 countries and regions reached 22.174 million units in the first quarter this year, up 4.6% year-on-year. Among them, China ranked first with 7.467 million units, growing by 11.1%; followed by the United States (4.026 million units, up 3.3%), India (1.435 million units, up 2.2%), and Japan (1.283 million units, up 13.6%). Lee Ho analyzed that "the global auto market is steadily growing and is expected to return to its past growth trajectory, mainly thanks to China and the United States, with China accounting for a dominant advantage, contributing 75% of the growth in the first-quarter sales." The report pointed out that "due to U.S. protectionist policies and the resulting increase in uncertainty, the global auto market faces downside risks for the remainder of the year." Sales in South Korea for the first quarter were 388,000 units, up 2.6%. Considering that sales dropped by 6.4% last year, this represents a positive shift. By company, Hyundai Motor Group's sales in the first quarter were 1.63 million units, down 0.3%, ranking third after Toyota (2.413 million) and Volkswagen (2.045 million). Chinese companies ranked seventh (BYD, 1.102 million) and tenth (Geely, 0.968 million). BYD sold 1 million units in the Chinese market and 101,000 units in other markets. Geely sold 782,000 units in the Chinese market and 186,000 units in other markets. The global eco-friendly vehicle market showed rapid growth centered on battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles in the first quarter. Battery electric vehicle sales increased by 38.5% year-on-year to 2.809 million units, while plug-in hybrid electric vehicle sales increased by 27.3% year-on-year to 1.403 million units. Hybrid electric vehicle sales reached 2.721 million units, up 18.4%. China accounted for 60.6% of the battery electric vehicle market and 76.1% of the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle market. Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1834635211435020/ Disclaimer: This article only represents the views of the author.