BEIJING: Car sales in China fell 2.98 per cent in August from a year ago, an industry group said on Thursday, as concerns rise over slowing growth in the Chinese economy.

A total of 1.66 million vehicles were sold in the country last month, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) said in a statement.

It was the fifth straight month the figure had declined, according to CAAM’s data. Production was down 8.44 per cent in August from a year ago to 1.57 million units, falling for the fourth consecutive month, it said.