BEIJING, April 9 (Reuters) - China's car sales rose

14.4% in March from a year earlier, as government-subsidised

trade-ins bolstered demand for electric vehicles and plug-in

hybrids, despite deepening deflationary pressures in the world's

largest auto market.

Passenger vehicle sales hit 1.97 million units last month,

and were up 6.1% to 5.18 million units in the first quarter,

data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) showed on

Wednesday.