This is also the first decline this year in the domestic auto market, with a sharp decline in the production and sales of commercial vehicles. Dong Yang, sectary general of CAAM, said the production and sales growth of cars from January to April was less than 6 percent, so the whole year's growth may be lower than expected and may even be overtaken by GDP growth.

A multitude of factors have contributed to the fall in the domestic auto market, such as the withdrawal of preferential policies, restriction on car purchases in big cities, rising oil prices and the Japanese earthquake. In April, nearly 1.6 million vehicles were sold, down 15 percent month on month and 0.25 percent from last April. From January to April, the quantity of auto production was more than 6.4 million, and auto sales totaled more than 6.5 million, growing 5.1 percent and nearly 6 percent, respectively.