China vehicle sales fall 9.4% in October: Industry body

China’s auto sales fell in October for a sixth consecutive month, slumping 9.4% from a year earlier, industry data showed on Wednesday, as a prolonged global shortage of semiconductors disrupts production.

Overall sales in the world’s biggest car market were 2.33 million vehicles in October, data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) showed.

This time of year, known as ”Golden September, Silver October”, is usually a high point in sales for the industry, with consumers making purchases after staying away from showrooms during the stifling summer months.

One bright spot in the data was the strong sales of new energy vehicles (NEV), which grew 135% in October to 383,000 units, thanks to the government’s promotion of greener vehicles to cut pollution. These include battery-powered electric vehicles, plug-in petrol-electric hybrids and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles.