Sales reached 2.12 million units in April, up 6.3 percent year-on-year, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) said.

But both the growth and total sales fell short of March, when vehicle sales rose 8.8 percent to 2.44 million units.

China's economy -- the world's second largest -- grew 6.7 percent year-on-year in the first quarter, its slowest expansion in seven years. But economic figures for April have dashed hopes for a rebound in the economy.

Auto sales reached 24.6 million last year and in October the government sought to boost the market by slashing the purchase tax on passenger cars with small engines in October.

Sales of passenger cars with engines smaller than 1.6 litres rose 12.1 percent in April from a year earlier to 1.28 million units, CAAM said in a statement.

Some foreign auto makers outperformed the overall market. US auto giant General Motors sold 277,979 vehicles in April, up 7.5 percent year-on-year, the company said.

But another US auto maker, Ford, said its sales dropped 11 percent to 82,324 units last month, in part due to maintenance at one of its assembly plants, according to a statement.