Chinese Cars Surge to Nearly Half of Israel's New Vehicle Market

The Israeli automotive market has seen a significant shift in its landscape in the first nine months of the year, with Chinese-manufactured vehicles now accounting for nearly half of all new car deliveries. Between January and the end of September, 255,223 new vehicles were delivered in Israel, a 5.4% increase compared to the same period last year. In September alone, 23,709 vehicles were delivered. The most striking trend is the dramatic rise of Chinese imports, with 118,740 units delivered year-to-date, a 44.2% jump from the previous year. This means 46.5% of all new cars delivered in Israel so far in 2024 were made in China, far surpassing South Korea (15.6%) and Japan (10.4%).

Omada-JAC leads the market in brand deliveries with 32,383 units, an impressive 146.9% increase. Other top brands include Toyota with 26,234 deliveries, Chery with 26,070, Hyundai with 22,579, and Kia with 20,525. These top five brands collectively represent about half of all deliveries. Several other Chinese brands are also gaining ground, with BYD up 52.9% to 17,701 deliveries, MG up 52.2% to 11,453, and Geely soaring 121.5% to 6,294. Tesla also saw growth, reaching 4,970 deliveries.

Conversely, some established brands have experienced sharp declines. Nissan deliveries dropped 40.2%, Mitsubishi fell 40.8%, Seat decreased by 48.2%, and Hyundai saw a 17.6% decline. Mazda was also notably impacted with a significant year-on-year decrease. It is important to note that these figures reflect vehicle registrations and deliveries, not necessarily immediate sales to private consumers. The Israeli market also features "zero-kilometer" vehicles, which are initially registered to a company before being sold to consumers, a practice the Consumer Protection Authority has warned may result in the buyer being registered as the second owner.