China's new vehicle sales fell for the first time in four months in January. Manufacturing plants and dealerships were closed for the Lunar New Year holiday, which started earlier than last year.

The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers says sales including exports declined 0.6 percent from a year earlier to 2.42 million units.

Shipments of electric, plug-in hybrid, and fuel-cell models bucked the overall trend, surging almost 30 percent to account for nearly two fifths of total sales. That was partly due to the government's measures to encourage replacement purchases.

Total vehicle exports including gasoline models increased 6.1 percent year-on-year.

Attention is now focused on the impact higher tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on goods imported from China will have on the country's vehicle sales.