China Automakers Seek Government Relief After February Sales Dive 79% on Coronavirus

A woman wearing a face mask rides a shared bicycle on a main road in central Beijing in the morning after the extended Lunar New Year holiday caused by the novel coronavirus outbreak, on Feb. 10, 2020. Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters

BEIJING/SHANGHAI—Automakers in China are calling on the government to help after industry-wide sales plunged 79 percent in February to mark their biggest ever monthly decline, with demand pummeled by the coronavirus outbreak.

Their wish list includes cuts to the purchase tax on smaller vehicles, measures to support sales in rural markets and an easing of car emission requirements, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) said.