Chinese passenger car sales rise for a third month in April
Agencies
China's car sales in April rose for a third month, up 14.8% from a year earlier, as government-subsidised auto trade-ins mitigated the impact of U.S. tariffs on consumer sentiment.
Passenger vehicle sales totalled 1.78 million units last month and for the first four months of 2025 were up 8.2% from the same period a year earlier at 6.97 million units, data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) showed on Sunday.Sales of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, known collectively as new energy vehicles, increased 33.9% year-on-year to make up 50.8% of total car sales last month.
A government scheme that hands out larger subsides to trade-ins of old cars for NEVs than for gasoline vehicles had covered 2.71 million cars as of April 24, official data showed, cushioning the impact on Chinese consumer confidence as the increase in U.S. tariffs on Chinese exports disrupt trade between the world's two largest economies.
Car exports slid 2.2% in April from a year earlier, extending an 8% decline in March, CPCA data showed.
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