China's July vehicle sales jump 30%, industry body says

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China's auto sales in July surged 29.7% from a year earlier to 2.42 million units, extending a recovery that began in June with the help of relaxed COVID restrictions and government incentives.

Sales for the first seven months were still 2% lower than the same period in 2021, data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) showed on Thursday.

July sales of new energy vehicles, which include pure electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles, increased 120% from the previous year.

CAAM tracks broader auto sales including passenger vehicles, buses and trucks while the China Passenger Car Association, which reported July sales earlier this week, focuses on retail sales of cars.

(Reporting by Zhang Yan, Brenda Goh; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)