China auto sales
grew 7 percent in the first quarter, China's automakers' association
said on Tuesday, with the strongest January-March period since 2014
setting up the world's largest auto market for a better-than-expected
year.Many in the industry had feared that sales would be weak in the first three months after the government rolled back a tax cut on small engine cars on Jan. 1, contributing to expectations for a slowdown in 2017 sales.
But first-quarter growth outpaced the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers' (CAAM) prediction in January that auto sales would grow 5 percent in 2017, and the market is expected to improve further as the year progresses.
