(Yicai Global) Jan. 10 -- China's passenger car sales slowed down more than expected last year but this year should be better, according to an industry alliance.

Passenger car sales fell 7.4 percent to 20.7 million units from 2018, the China Passenger Car Association wrote in a report released yesterday. One category bucked the downward trend. New energy vehicle sales rose 5.1 percent to 1.1 million.

Sales of sedans, sport utility vehicles, and multi-purpose vehicles will reach 21 million units this year, rising 1 percent if the internal and external environments are stable amid policy support, the CPCA predicted.

December was more sluggish than expected as consumers didn't want to buy big commodities such as cars, said Cui Dongshu, secretary-general of the alliance. Car sales decreased 3.4 percent to 2.1 million units that month while new energy vehicle sales dropped over 15 percent. 

The joint ventures of FAW-Volkswagen Automobile, SAIC Volkswagen Automotive, and Dongfeng Nissan Passenger Vehicle fared the strongest during December while SAIC General Motors dropped out of the top three due to its unsuccessful three-cylinder engines, Cui added.

Over the year, MPV sales slumped 18.2 percent to 1.4 million units. Sedan sales slid 9.1 percent to 10.1 million. Some 9.2 million SUVs were sold, or 3.6 percent less than a year earlier.

Editor: Emmi Laine