Auto output, sales both to hit record

China's auto output and sales are both expected to hit a record 9 million units this year, said Zhang Xiaoyu, vice president of the China Machinery Industry Federation.

The figure, compared with a previous prediction of 8.5 million, would enable China to reach its auto production and sales targets for the 2006-2010 period three years in advance, said Zhang.

China's muscle-flexing and exhaust-emitting auto industry maintained strong momentum in the past five years, with output soaring an annual average of 26 percent.

Last year China surpassed Japan to become the world's No. 2 auto market, with total sales of 7.2 million vehicles and output of 7.3 million.

The country produced 4.5 million vehicles in the first half of 2007, up 22.4 percent on the same period of last year, while sales rose 23.3 percent to 4.4 million, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.