Shanghai, January 11 (Gasgoo.com) China's passenger car sales jumped 52.9% to 10.3 million units in 2009, rebounding sharply from single-digit growth a year earlier, Reuters reported today, citing an industry group.
Sales in December alone jumped 88.7% from a year earlier to 1.1 million units, topping 1 million units for monthly sales for the third time last year, said the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.
Volkswagen AG retained its position as the biggest maker and seller of passenger cars in China last year, by selling a record 1.4 million units, up 36.7% year on year, though it saw smaller growth than its rivals.
General Motors, VW's closest rival in China, sold 727,620 passenger cars, up 63%, through its flagship car venture Shanghai GM. GM saw its China sales in 2009 jump 66.9% to 1.83 million units, boosted by its mini-van venture SAIC-GM-Wuling.
China's overall vehicle sales, from buses and trucks to cars, came to 13.6 million units last year, up 46.2%, and the country overtook the U.S. to become the world's largest auto market.
The auto sales boom in China was mainly driven by policy incentives, including subsidies and tax cuts, rolled out by the Chinese government to boost its auto market demand.
