Foreign carmakers are warning of a slowdown in the world’s largest auto market, after February sales figures showed the first year-on-year decline in 16 months.
China’s tighter monetary policy and the expiration of tax incentives for small cars at the end of last year have damped demand, which is still growing in double digits but not at last year’s blistering pace of 32 per cent.
Ford and GM both expect at least 10 per cent growth in passenger vehicle sales in China this year, senior executives from the two US carmakers told the Financial Times in interviews. The news comes as China continues trying to cool the economy by restricting monetary policy and imposing anti-inflation measures.