Carmakers focus on China as hot market slows

Beijing

THE global car industry gathers for its biggest annual event in China as analysts say the brakes are coming on in the world's No 1 car market, with the slowing economy dragging on vehicle demand.

China's car sales growth is projected to bump along at an average 5 per cent annually over the next five years as a weaker economy takes its toll, consulting firm McKinsey said in a report ahead of the Beijing Auto Show, which opens on Monday.

"After years of double-digit growth, China's car market is slowing down. A cooling economy is one of the primary factors in the deceleration of what remains the …