China leads global auto sales out of slump, while Japan lags

US and Europe see light at end of tunnel as dealerships reopen

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A Volkswagen dealership in the U.K. waits for customers on June 1. Auto sales in Britain appear to be bottoming out. © Reuters

SHUJI NAKAYAMA, KOSEI FUKAO and KOSUKE TERAI, Nikkei staff writers

NEW YORK/FRANKFURT/TOKYO -- Auto sales have returned to growth in China and begun to show signs of improvement in the U.S. and Europe as coronavirus lockdowns ease, but the effects of a consumption tax hike still have Japan going in the wrong direction.

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