Springtime Brings a Boost in Chinese Auto Sales

According to China Daily, sales of passenger cars in China rose 23.6 percent in March, compared with the same period last year. That's the largest monthly rise in seven months, attributed (in part) to the arrival of milder springtime weather. The market recovered after "freak winter weather" slowed sales, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. First-quarter sales rose 20.4 percent to 1.85m vehicles, including 1.37m sedans, 55.3k minivans and 101.8k SUVs. Taking both first and second place in sales for the first three months of the year: Volkswagen AG's two Chinese joint ventures, FAW Volkswagen and Shanghai Volkswagen. Coming in third in the sales race: Shanghai GM, the Detroit-based car maker's JV with Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. China is the world's second largest car market, with sales of 6.3m vehicles last year.