China Jan. auto sales fall 24 pct, hit by holiday Feb 9 04:04 AM US/Eastern SHANGHAI (AP) - The year of the dragon came in with a whimper instead of a roar as Chinese industry data show passenger car sales in the world's biggest auto market fell 24 percent from a year earlier. The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers said Thursday that 1.16 million passenger cars were sold in January, down from a monthly record 1.5 million a year earlier. It said total vehicle sales, including trucks and buses, dropped 26 percent from the year before to 1.39 million.