(Yicai) Jan. 29 -- China imported more than 100,000 fewer BMW vehicles last year than a year earlier, as the import volume of German luxury car brands in the country shrank sharply, with BMW posting the steepest decline at 62 percent.

The slump came as China’s total automobile imports fell 32 percent year on year to 475,700 units in 2025, the biggest annual drop in nearly 10 years, according to data released by Cui Dongshu, secretary-general of the China Passenger Car Association. The figure was down about 228,000 units from 704,100 vehicles in 2024.

This marked the seventh consecutive year of contraction in China’s imported car market. Compared with the peak of over 1.4 million units in 2014, the market has shrunk by nearly two-thirds over the past 12 years, losing close to one million vehicles in scale.

By country of origin, Japan remained China’s largest source of imported cars in 2025, with shipments totaling 203,100 units and accounting for 42.7 percent of the total. Germany ranked second with 104,400 units, followed by Slovakia, the United States, and the United Kingdom with 51,200 units, 48,500 units, and 36,400 units, respectively.

Japan’s import volume was almost entirely supported by Lexus. The brand recorded full-year sales of 184,100 units in 2025, up 3 percent year on year and marking a four-year high, although it still fell short of its 2021 level.

Against the backdrop of seven straight years of decline in China’s imported car market, German luxury brands have seen their import volumes contract rapidly. Mercedes-Benz and Audi posted year-on-year drops of 37 percent and 41 percent, respectively.

Insurance registration data cited by Cui showed that China imported only 64,370 BMW vehicles in 2025, down from nearly 171,020 units a year earlier, a reduction of around 106,650 vehicles. Imports of Mini also fell sharply, dropping from roughly 17,380 units to almost 8,840 units, nearly halving year on year.

Mercedes-Benz’s full-year imports fell below 100,000 units, representing a decline of 56,500 vehicles from the previous year. Audi’s imports shrank to under 30,000 units, down around 21,120 vehicles year on year. Imports of super-luxury brand Porsche dropped 23 percent to almost 41,800 units in 2025, marking its third consecutive year of decline in China.

Editor: Emmi Laine