| 22-01-2008 Chinese
auto sales are likely to hit or surpass 10 million units this year, Cai Weici,
vice chairman of China Machinery Industry Federation forecast yesterday. Official
figures revealed that the country turned out 8.88 million automobiles in 2007,
22.02 percent more than the previous year, surpassing the eight million prediction
made at the beginning of 2007. Aggregate
auto sales stood at 8.79 million, up 21.84 percent year on year. Experts
ascribed the robust sales growth to increasing market demand, as a recent survey
by the State Information Center revealed more than 10 million Chinese households
wanted to buy private cars soon. This was boosted by rising incomes and falling
car prices. The
country is also stepping up its research and development into clean-energy vehicles,
including electric, fuel cell and hybrid automobiles, as energy saving and environmental
protection has become a key concern of the country, said the CMIF. Commercial
vehicle output volume stood at 2.5 million, up 22.21 percent compared with the
previous year, and passenger vehicle numbers topped 6.38 million, up 21.94 percent
year on year. This
is the first year that the growth rate of commercial vehicles has surpassed passenger
vehicles, said the association. Association statistics revealed domestic manufacturers
had released nearly 90 new models onto the market last year.
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