China's Q1 auto sales top 5.42 million units

Sales of China-made automobiles posted better-than-expected two-digit growth in the first quarter, reaching 5.42 million units in January-March, or up 13.18 percent from a year earlier, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) said Thursday.

Auto output also saw strong growth in the first three months of this year, up 12.81 percent year on year to amount to 5.4 million units, according to CAAM.

In March alone, auto sales and output both surpassed 2 million units, marking the highest monthly level in history, CAAM data showed.