China auto sales top 200,000

China auto sales top 200,000

SHANGHAI: Growth in the full-sized sedan and sports utility vehicle (SUV) sectors pushed China's monthly auto sales past 200,000 units for the first time in September, a report released on Monday showed.

At the same time, officials sought to allay fears the world's fourth largest auto market was not overheating, despite a massive surge of investment from domestic and foreign carmakers.

Passenger vehicle sales hit a record 200,480 during the month, up 56 percent year-on-year, with total January-September sales at 1.45 million, up 69 percent from a year ago, quasi-governmental Automotive Resources Asia said.

Full-size sedan sales were up 117 percent in September year-on-year at 45,258 units, with SUV sales up 132 percent from the same period last year at 6,491.

Subcompact and sedan car sales -- traditionally the strongest sectors in China's auto industry -- also showed continued strong growth, up 37 percent and 34 percent year-on-year at 41,988 and 78,867 units respectively. --AFP