In January-April, car sales in the People’s Republic of China decreased by 12.1% (year-on-year) and amounted to 7.69 million, according to data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM).

Passenger vehicle sales fell 4.2% to 6.51 million in the four months, while commercial vehicle sales fell 39.8% to 1.18 million.

In April, when China’s tough lockdowns were in effect, cumulative sales collapsed 47.6% year-on-year to 1.18 million vehicles. Including passenger vehicle sales fell 43.4% to 965,000 and commercial auto sales fell 60.7% to 216,000.

Meanwhile, sales of new energy vehicles (NEVs) jumped 44.6% in April to 299,000. January-April sales rose 110% to 1.56 million.

China’s car production fell 46.1% to 1.2 million in April, down 10.5% to 7.69 million in January-April. Passenger car output fell 2.6% to 6.49 million in the first four months of this year, while commercial vehicle output fell 37.9% to 1.195 million.

CAAM reported that China exported 141,000 vehicles in April, down 6.6% from April 2021. Exports in January-April jumped 39.4% to 723,000.