Nissan's car sales in China drop 44.9% in March due to coronavirus

Car sales and production have been hit hard in every coronavirus-hit country since factories were shutdown and consumers were forced to stay indoors due to the outbreak.

Japanese automaker Nissan said on Wednesday that its car sales in China fell by 44.9% from a year before. The auto giant sold 73,297 units in March in China, the world's biggest car market.

Car sales and production have been hit hard in every coronavirus-hit country as factories were shut down and consumers forced to stay indoors due to the outbreak.

However, Nissan, which has a joint venture with Hubei-based Dongfeng Motor, said in a statement that it sees "signs of recovery in the market".

Meanwhile, rival Toyota's China sales dropped 15.9% year-on-year in March while Honda's fell 50.8%.

In February, car sales tanked by 79.1% year-on-year when just 3,10,000 vehicles were sold across the country, China Association of Automobile Manufacturers said last month.