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China car sales surge

February 13, 2014

Auto sales in China surged to a record high for any month in January, boosted by brisk business ahead of the New Year holiday. This is a sign the world’s biggest car market appears set to sustain double-digit growth.

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China Automarkt Markt Vertrieb
Image: AP

In January, car sales in China jumped to 2.16 million vehicles, up 6 percent on the same month in 2013, and marking a new monthly record, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) announced Thursday.

Describing the figure as a good start to 2014, CAAM said that passenger cars alone amounted to 1.85 million units - up 7 percent and helped by solid demand for multi-purpose as well as sports-utility vehicles (SUVs).

According to a CAAM estimate released in January, the world's biggest car market was set to maintain the momentum it gathered already in 2013. Last year, China auto sales rose 13.9 percent, compared with substantially low growth of 2.4 and 4.3 percent in 2011 and 2012 respectively.

A most recent sign of persistently strong growth in China were January sales figures reported by carmaker Ford on Wednesday. The US auto giant said it had sold 53 percent more cars in the country last month.

Earlier this week, General Motors (GM) also reported higher China sales, which increased 12 percent to an all-time high for the US carmaker of 348,000 units.

The revived strength of china's auto market contrasts sharply with sluggish demand in Europe and an anticipated slowdown in growth in the United States.

uhe/jlw (Reuters, AFP, dpa)