Robust growth in China's vehicle production and sales continued in the first month of 2010 to sustain last year's record-setting momentum
According to the latest statistics from the China Associations of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), 1.61 million vehicles were produced in January, an increase of 5.04 percent, while auto sales in the nation reached 1.66 million units, a surge of 16.83 percent over December.
Compared to the same month in 2009, January's production and sales were red-hot - up a respective 143 percent and 124 percent year-on-year.
In the passenger vehicle market, monthly production and sales hit a respective 1.24 million and 1.31 million units, rising 4 percent and 18 percent from December last year. Both were new records.
Homegrown brands played an increasingly important role in passenger vehicle sales as they moved 677,400 units in January to account for 49 percent of the segment.
Sales of domestic-brand sedans hit 323,000 units to take 35 percent of the market.