China's passenger car market in April continued the lackluster performance seen in the first quarter, further denting the confidence of automotive industry players.

Sales of sedans, SUVs, MPVs and minivans totaled 1.69 million units in the month, a 1.7 percent fall from the same month last year, statistics from the China Passenger Car Association showed.

Sales so far this year totaled 7.27 million, a 1.4 percent dip year-on-year. The fall could have been steeper without SUVs, whose sales grew 17.2 percent in the same period. It was the only growing segment in the first four months of the year, while other segments fell, ranging from 8.1 percent to 32.3 percent.