China Carmakers Miss End-of-Year Rush With Sales Drop

Car sales in China fell for a second month — a rare decline in what’s usually the busiest time of the year — as automakers’ discounts failed to make up for the end of a trade-in subsidy that had underpinned the market.

Retail vehicle sales fell about 8% to 2.2 million units in November, according to data published by the China Passenger Car Association on Monday. That’s mainly due to a 22% slump in sales of gasoline cars, with new-energy vehicle sales rising 4.2% for the month.