PSA lifted by Iran despite dip in China

French auto giant PSA Group said on Thursday its global sales rose slightly in the first half, with its comeback in Iran compensating for problems in China where volumes plunged by almost 50 percent. Between January and June, PSA’s sales in China fell by 48.6 percent to 152,380 vehicles, while in Europe, its main market, turnover was down 1.9 percent to 1.03 million vehicles, largely due to a poor performance by its luxury DS brand. Overall the carmaker, which is pursuing plans to buy General Motors’ European brands Opel and Vauxhall, sold nearly 1.58 million vehicles in the first half of 2017, with global sales up 2.3 percent.