CHINA

U.S. Cars Catching On: The sales gains come after months of sluggishness. An increasing number of Chinese are favoring U.S.-made cars, a Chinese import official said. Japanese cars have long dominated China’s imports. The Ford Tempo and Chevrolet Corsica have been popular, the official said, because of price, service and parts availability. The Chinese government bought 7,000 U.S. vehicles in 1992 and has since ordered 12,400 more. But many stood unsold in warehouses last year as sales of all vehicles slumped. The slowdown was blamed partly on government directives to cut back on unnecessary spending. With stiff import taxes and fees, U.S. car prices range from $24,000 to $36,000--about the same as the price of Chinese-made cars and other imports.