Glossary
Glossary of vehicle data terms
Registration, retail, wholesale, CC, HS codes and the bodies that publish the numbers.
In short. Plain definitions of the terms used in automotive registration and trade data.
- Registration
- The recording of a vehicle with the government authority so that it can be used on the road. Counting new registrations by month is a close measure of retail demand.
- Retail sales
- Vehicles sold by dealers to customers. Often approximated by new registrations.
- Wholesale or dispatch
- Vehicles shipped by the manufacturer to dealers. It can differ from retail sales because dealers hold stock.
- Registered stock
- All vehicles registered and on the register at a point in time or during a year. It is not the same as new-vehicle sales.
- CC (engine capacity)
- Engine displacement in cubic centimetres. Used to band motorcycles and cars.
- Powertrain
- The energy source and drive system of a vehicle: petrol, diesel, CNG or LPG, hybrid or electric.
- BEV, PHEV and NEV
- BEV is a battery-electric vehicle. PHEV is a plug-in hybrid. NEV, or new energy vehicle, is the term used in China and includes battery-electric, plug-in hybrid and fuel-cell vehicles.
- CBU, CKD and SKD
- CBU is a completely built-up vehicle imported fully assembled. CKD is a completely knocked-down kit of parts assembled locally. SKD is semi-knocked-down, partly assembled.
- HS code
- The Harmonised System, an international product classification used by customs. Vehicles are mainly in chapter 87, for example 8703 for cars and 8711 for motorcycles.
- PIN code
- The six-digit postal code used in India. The first digit identifies a postal zone and the following digits narrow it to a sorting region and a delivery post office.
- VAHAN
- India’s national vehicle registration database, operated under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. It records registrations, not sales.
- FADA
- The Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations in India. Publishes monthly retail registration data by category.
- SIAM
- The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers. Publishes production, domestic dispatches and exports by category.
- CAAM
- The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. Publishes production, sales and exports.
- ACEA and ACEM
- ACEA is the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (cars, vans, trucks, buses). ACEM is the European motorcycle manufacturers’ association.
- Fiscal year
- A 12-month reporting year that does not start in January. India’s runs April to March. Uganda’s runs July to June.
- LSV
- A low-speed vehicle, such as an electric golf cart licensed for limited road use. The legal definition varies by country.
- ATV
- An all-terrain vehicle, a small off-road vehicle for recreation or work.
- Variant
- A trim or version of a model, for example with a different engine or feature set.
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