(Bloomberg) -- China’s car sales continued their decline in November, extending a historic slump and all but ensuring a second straight annual drop for the world’s biggest market.

Sales of sedans, sport utility vehicles, minivans and multipurpose vehicles fell 4.2% from a year earlier to 1.97 million units, the China Passenger Car Association said Monday, citing preliminary figures. The decline was the 17th in the past 18 months, with the only increase coming this June as dealers offered large discounts to clear inventory.

A slowing economy has kept consumers away from showrooms, in particular in areas outside big cities where cheaper local brands are popular. Global brands such as Japan’s Toyota Motor Corp. and Germany’s BMW AG have weathered the slump better, helped by demand for hybrid cars and premium vehicles.

Global brands are also continuing to invest in China after pouring billions of dollars setting up factories and sales networks in the country in recent decades. Volkswagen AG and its Chinese partners will spend more than $4.4 billion next year to rev up electric-car production and add more SUVs. Tesla Inc. is close to starting mass production at its new Shanghai plant, its first outside the U.S.

To contact Bloomberg News staff for this story: Tian Ying in Beijing at ytian@bloomberg.net;Matt Turner in Hong Kong at mturner107@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Young-Sam Cho at ycho2@bloomberg.net, Ville Heiskanen

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