Car sales in China’s western and central regions increased 33 per cent year-on-year in the first half of 2009, according to a report from the global market research firm, Ipsos. Nationwide, the industry average growth rate was 24 per cent.

Some of the provincial differences have been quite pronounced. For example, Shaanxi reported a growth of 110 per cent in the issuance of new licence plates, compared with a 12 per cent fall in Guangdong. China Daily reported that car dealers in Sichuan have been delaying deliveries of certain models by up to three months because of high levels of demand.

The market in China’s interior has been more buoyant than in coastal areas during the global downturn because the economy there is less dependent on exports. Government policies of promoting the use of smaller vehicles have also proved popular in the region.