Nissan's China sales drop 44.9% in March due to virus

FILE PHOTO: A Nissan Altima car with a China Stage VI emission standard is seen at a dealership in Beijing

BEIJING (Reuters) - Japanese automaker Nissan said on Wednesday its sales in China fell 44.9% from a year earlier to 73,297 units in March, as the coronavirus epidemic continues to hit the world's biggest car market.

Nissan, which has a joint venture with Hubei-based Dongfeng Motor, said it sees "signs of recovery in the market", according to a statement.

Rival Toyota's China sales dropped 15.9% year-on-year in March while Honda's fell 50.8%.

(Reporting by Yilei Sun and Norihiko Shirouzu; Editing by Himani Sarkar)