Even though it's already the biggest, China's auto market is still very new, and sales continue to rise by leaps and bounds every year. For years, a mix of small, affordable vehicles and larger luxury sedans have been dominant, but the latest sales data indicates that utility vehicles may be taking over.

2010 SUV sales are up 108 percent versus the same period in 2009, with 372,527 units sold. April was a banner month for the big and tall set, with 105,585 SUVs and crossovers making their way to customers. The big winner was the Great Wall Hover, with 13,000 sales. Asian marques round out the the crossover-laden top five, led by the Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, Zotye RX6400 and Toyota Highlander.

With sales in China routinely growing from 10 to 20 percent annually, we think a big part of the SUV and crossover growth is organic. That SUV sales have doubled so quickly shows that Chinese consumers' vehicle tastes may be more in line with American buyers, rather than the wagon and hatch-loving Europeans.


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