China's output of sedans stood at 144,200 in February, down 23 percent compared with the same month in 2004, the National Bureau of Statistics said on Monday.

The bureau said that the sales of sedan cars dropped in February after enjoying a short period of brisk business in January before the Spring Festival.

Statistics showed that China produced a total of 329,300 sedan cars between January and February, a decrease of 1.5 percent over the corresponding period last year.

An official at the bureau said that China's car market remains weak, which forces producers to cut prices to attract customers. At the same time, consumers adopt a wait-and-see attitude, postponing their purchase plans and hoping that the prices will come down further.

Increasing oil prices worldwide have also had a negative impact on car sales.

The bureau's statistics also show that due to price hikes in iron and steel, profits in car manufacturing dropped by 61.5 percent between January and February this year compared to the same period last year.

(Xinhua News Agency March 29, 2005)