China Car Sales Fell in January Amid Holiday, Covid Disruptions

(Bloomberg) — Sales of passenger vehicles in China slipped 4.5% last month as factories halted production amid Covid prevention measures and as automakers took a breather ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday.

Total car sales fell to 2.1 million in January, data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) released Monday show. Deliveries of new-energy vehicles, however, more than doubled to 347,000 units. Tesla Inc., the U.S. electric car pioneer that has a factory in Shanghai, was the No. 1 seller of such cars during the month, shipping 59,845 vehicles, including 40,499 for export.