China's Deceptive Auto Market Boom: BYD's Overseas Venture Faces a Pile-On

Further evidence, as detailed in this article, points to several joint venture foreign brands, including Suzuki and Mitsubishi, that have left the Chinese market. Even powerhouse Japanese brands like Toyota, Honda, and Nissan are seeing sales dips in China. Yet, it may be presumptuous to say that this shift indicates a sweeping victory for domestic brands.
Interestingly, many of these same brands retreating from China are thriving in other countries. Consider Honda: despite a 25 percent year-on-year decrease in their Chinese car sales this past August, they experienced a 57 percent sales spike in the U.S. Globally, they even ramped up their production by 27,171 vehicles, propelling their U.S. stock price to unprecedented heights.
Similarly, Toyota recently achieved a production milestone of over 18 million units globally, even as their China numbers indicate a decline.