Vehicle sales by Nissan Motor Co. in China this month had almost recovered to the prior year's level, after logging a coronavirus-related 44.9 percent plunge in March, two sources with knowledge of the automaker's preliminary data have said.

The data reinforces growing optimism that the world's biggest car market is stabilizing fast as businesses return to normal in China, making it a rare bright spot as most dealerships in Europe and the United States remain shut.

Nissan's vehicle sales in China, which include Nissan, Infiniti and China-only brands, as well as light commercial vehicles, contracted just "a few percent" in April from a year earlier when it sold roughly 121,000 vehicles, said the people who had seen the data.