China's auto sales drops amid epidemic

BEIJING - China reported sluggish sales of automobiles in January amid the novel coronavirus outbreak, industry data showed Thursday.

The country sold a total of 1.941 million vehicles last month, down 18 percent year-on-year, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM).

Meanwhile, vehicle output amounted to 1.783 million, declining 24.6 percent from the same period last year.

Sales and production of passenger vehicles posted a year-on-year decrease of 20.2 percent and 27.6 percent, respectively.

In January, new energy vehicle sales slumped 54.4 percent, while production dropped by 55.4 percent, said the CAAM.