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

BEIJING (Reuters) - Japanese automaker Nissan <7201.T> 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 <0489.HK>, said it sees "signs of recovery in the market", according to a statement.

Rival Toyota's <7203.T> China sales dropped 15.9% year-on-year in March while Honda's <7267.T> fell 50.8%.

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