Car makers put brake on China output

Volkswagen and other major car makers have begun reining in Chinese output, wages and other costs, as executives at the Frankfurt auto show put a brave face on a sharp slowdown in the world’s biggest vehicle market.

The German car giant’s Chinese joint venture Faw-vw is cancelling staff bonuses and cutting shifts at its plants near Changchun, north-eastern China.

The bonuses being scrapped typically account for more than half of the assembly-line workers’ pay.