China's heavy truck sales continue to fall in June

China's heavy truck sales recorded the largest drop of this year last month, down 11 percent from a year ago, according to data from an auto industry information service provider.

Some 100,000 heavy-duty trucks were sold in June in China, said a report from cvworld.cn.

In the first half of the year, heavy truck sales fell 3 percent year on year to 652,600 units.

Analysis from cvworld.cn said the heavy truck market was partly weighed down by the "China VI" vehicle emission standards implemented on Monday amid efforts against a major source of air pollution.

According to official data, emissions from some 6.2 million vehicles were responsible for 45 percent of Beijing's concentration of small, breathable particles known as PM2.5, a key indicator of air pollution.

Compared with the "China V" standards, the new rules demand substantially fewer pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and particulate matters and introduce limits on particulate number and ammonia.

Manufacturers have completed the development of most "China VI" models and have entered the stage of mass production and sales, said Liu Youbin, a spokesperson with the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.

FAW Jiefang Automotive Co., a truck subsidiary of FAW Group headquartered in Changchun, continued to take the lead in heavy-duty truck sales for four consecutive years with a 5-percent year-on-year growth by selling over 170,000 units in the first half of this year.