(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) China remained the world's largest producer and market for automobiles for the fourth consecutive year in 2012, data released Friday by the country's auto industry association showed.
The country's auto sales last year hit 19.31 million units, up 4.3 percent year on year and marking a new high, according to Chinese official Xinhua News Agency, quoting the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) said in a statement.
Auto production grew 4.6 percent from a year earlier to 19.27 million vehicles last year, CAAM said.
"In 2012, both the country's auto sales and production hit new historic highs, and the country remained the world's largest auto manufacturer and market for the fourth consecutive year," the statement added.
Passenger cars of German brands accounted for 18.4 percent of all sales, while Japanese brands represented 16.4 percent of the total.
China overtook the US to become the world's largest automaker and auto market in 2009.
"Automobile production in China has exceeded 18 million units for three years in a row, showing that the industry has entered a stage of steady growth at a relatively high level," the statement noted.
Sales and production of new energy cars also experienced rapid growth last year, with production of pure electric vehicles surging 98.8 percent and their sales jumping 103.9 percent, the CAAM said.
In December alone, 1.81 million vehicles were sold, up 7.1 percent year on year, while 1.78 million vehicles were produced, up 5.5 percent from a year earlier, the statement said.
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