China's 2020 auto sales fall, then recover amid coronavirus

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Photo credit People wearing face masks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus look at a new Chinese-made electric Li One SUV at a dealership in Beijing on Aug. 2, 2020. China's sales of SUVs, minivans and sedans fell 6% last year compared with 2019 after demand plunged due to the coronavirus and rebounded in the second half. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

BEIJING (AP) — China’s sales of SUVs, minivans and sedans fell 6% last year compared with 2019 after demand in the industry's biggest global market first plunged due to the coronavirus pandemic and then rebounded in the second half, an industry group reported Wednesday.

In December, sales rose 7.2% over a year earlier to 2.4 million, down from November’s 11.6% growth, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. Sales of trucks and buses rose 2.4% to 456,000.

For the full year, auto sales declined to 20.2 million. Sales of commercial vehicles rose 18.7% to 5.1 million.