AUTO SALES SKID IN h1

China’s auto sales rose 1.8 per cent in June over a year earlier but fell by double digits for the first half of 2020 after the country shut down to fight coronavirus, an industry group reported.

That was down from May’s 7 per cent gain following the reopening of the economy but a rebound from February’s record 81.7 per cent plunge after dealerships and other businesses were shut to contain the virus outbreak. For the six months through June, sales were off 22.4 per cent from a year ago, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers reported. —