hong kongchinas car sales in may rose 297 from april offering a sign of a rebound in the worlds biggest auto market as production gradually resumed in lockdownhit shanghai and central and local governments offered cash boosters to stimulate purchases across the country passengercar sales in may rose to 135 million from 104 million vehicles in april the china passenger car association said thursday sales in may were still down 169 from a year earlier however indicating that the industry has yet to fully recover from the effects of the extended covid19 lockdown in shanghai production increased 65 from a year ago car sales in china had declined by more than a third in april from a year earlier the worst fall in more than two years as weekslong anticovid lockdowns in parts of the country shut factories disrupted supply chains and kept car buyers at home