SHANGHAI: China's auto sales surged 29.7 per cent in July from a year earlier to 2.42 million units, extending a recovery that began in June with the help of eased COVID-19 curbs and government incentives.
Sales of new energy vehicles, which include pure electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles, increased 120 per cent in July from the previous year. July sales were 3.3 per cent lower than June, as heat waves nationwide slowed the pace of factory production and reduced customer visits to showrooms.
The industry was hit hard by efforts to combat COVID-19 earlier in the year, with month of stringent lockdowns in the major manufacturing hubs of Shanghai and Changchun.