China auto sales in November increased 16.6 percent year-on-year to 2.94 million units, according to data released Monday by the China Association of Automobile Manufactures (CAAM).
The fast growth in November was in line with earlier projections of the CAAM and industry analysts, who said that car sales would further accelerate in December as customers rushed to take advantage of a tax cut that is scheduled to expire at the end of the year.
Passenger vehicle sales maintained rapid growth in the month, gaining 17.2 percent year-on-year to 2.59 million, according to the CAAM. But the pace slowed, compared with year-on-year growth of 20.3 percent in October.
China auto sales have accelerated so far this year, growing 14.1 percent in the January-November period from last year to 24.95 million, compared with a 13.8 percent expansion in the same period last year, the CAAM said.
The upbeat numbers in November prompted the association to adjust its forecast for full-year sales growth to 7 percent from 6 percent previously.
