China's auto sales, output hit record highs in Nov

China's automobile sales and output both hit new highs in November, according to official data released on Tuesday.

Sales rose 14.1 percent in November year on year to just over 2 million units, while production rose 21.2 percent from a year earlier to 2.13 million units, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) said in a statement.

Both figures were all-time highs for the industry, showing momentum for continued strong growth, according to the CAAM.

In the first 11 months of 2013, auto sales in China rose 13.5 percent year on year to 20 million units, while total output increased 14.3 percent to 20 million units.

The combined sales and output from January to November have both topped the total units for the full year of 2012, the statement said.

The strong growth last month was mainly driven by passenger vehicles. The sales and production of passenger cars in November climbed 14.1 percent and 21.2 percent year on year, CAAM said.

In the first 11 months, passenger car output and sales growth both topped 15 percent, it said.

"The auto industry got back on track of double-digit growth and entered a stage of steady growth, after transformation of the sector over the past two years," said Dong Yang, executive vice president of the CAAM, forecasting that the industry would grow between 8 and 10 percent in the following five to 10 years.

Almost 6.5 million Chinese passenger cars were sold in the first 11 months, representing 40 percent to total passenger car sales in China, down 1.3 percent.

Auto exports in the first 11 months dropped 7.35 percent from a year earlier, narrowing from a drop of 7.5 percent in the first 10 months, the statement said.