Taiwan auto market reports highest sales in 15 years

18. February 2021

Taiwan’s auto market defied the Covid 19 pandemic to reach a record 457,000 new cars sold in 2020, the highest sales figures since 2006, the China Times newspaper reported. According to the vehicle licensing authority, 457,435 new vehicles were registered last year, up 4 percent compared to 2019. Broken down by manufacturer, Toyota leads sales in Taiwan with 27 percent market share followed by Nissan with 7.7 percent. Honda (6.7 percent), Mercedes-Benz (6.5 percent) and Ford (6.3 percent) ranked next. Together, Toyota and Lexus sold 146,000 cars and owned 32 percent of the market.

 

The Toyota RAV 4, which sold 31,000 units, overtook the Toyota Altis (marketed in Europe as the Corolla), which had held the top spot for 19 years and sold 29,000 units, as the best-selling model in Taiwan. However, the RAV 4 may soon be displaced from its top spot, as the locally manufactured Toyota Corolla Cross in Taiwan is showing good sales figures. Only available since October 2020, 12,000 vehicles have already been sold in three months and insiders expect around 40,000 vehicles to be sold this year. The Corolla Cross is based on the Corolla’s current E210 platform and is positioned between the C-HR and RAV 4.

In terms of luxury vehicles, Mercedes-Benz is in first place with 29,000 vehicles, followed by Lexus and BMW with 22,000 and 18,000 vehicles each. Newcomer Tesla sold 5,819 vehicles, positioning itself in the top 5. Last year, 215,000 imported new vehicles were sold, representing a market share of 47.2 percent. All foreign manufacturers or their imported vehicles recorded rising sales figures, with VW subsidiary Skoda selling 7,041 vehicles. This corresponds to a growth of 22 percent compared to the previous year and is the company’s best result to date since its market launch in Taiwan.

In order to import products into Taiwan, it must be ensured that they meet safety and quality standards in Taiwan. This is ensured by specific, product-dependent certifications, which certify that the products comply with the relevant regulations in Taiwan. The Vehicle Safety and Certification Center (VSCC) is responsible for vehicles and products in the automotive industry in Taiwan. The authority was established in 2009 by the Ministry of Transport and Communications in the city of Lugang in Taiwan. In its scope, the VSCC certification for Taiwan are similar to the Chinese CCC and CEL certifications.

MPR China Certification GmbH has many years of experience in Taiwan certification and competent local partners. We will be pleased to advise you without obligation about the scope and procedure of a Taiwan certification.

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