Changan Automobile announced its monthly production and sales performance review for July earlier this week. According to a report appearing in Caijingtoday, which cited the review, the manufacturer sold 111,100 vehicles last month, 11.98 percent more than its sales result from last July. It manufactured 121,900 vehicles over the month, representing year-on-year growth of 9.54 percent.

Despite experiencing positive sales growth last month, it is important to remember that Changan's sales fell 26.22 percent in June. Falling sales from the Changan Suzuki joint venture have been cited as a key factor behind the manufacturer's poor performance this year. The JV's sales have been in constant decline since May, with its July sales reported to be at just 7,600 units, a full 53.37 percent less than last year.

However, the Changan Ford Mazda JV has continued to perform strongly, with its reported July sales totaling 31,200 vehicles. Furthermore, Ford has announced its intent to bring over a slew of new models to China in the next two to three years, giving the JV even more growth prospects for the future.

From January to July, Changan manufactured and sold 981,300 vehicles and 992,400 vehicles, respectively. The figures represent negative year-on-year growth of 3.65 percent and 2.6 percent.

Changan's sales target for the year has been set at 1.9 million vehicles. Going into August, the manufacturer has more than 47 percent of that amount left to sell.