Purchasing spree spurs rise in June car sales

Sales of passenger cars in China again grew by double digits in June, fanned by continued talk of tighter curbs on buying, and drove the market to a 15.2 percent jump in the first half of the year, the China Passenger Car Association said yesterday.

Deliveries of sedans, sport-utility vehicles and multi-purpose vehicles rose 16.3 percent annually to 1.35 million units last month. If the sales of minivans were included, sales totaled 1.47 million units, up 14 percent from a year earlier. The combined sales in January to June hit 8.38 million units.

The increased sales were fanned by speculation that curbs would be placed on vehicle purchases and also tighter control on personal use of government fleets since May, said Rao Da, secretary-general of the China Passenger Car Association.

The current pace of growth may help the market gain 14 percent annually this year, up from the 13 percent rise projected at the start of the year, Rao added. But July sales may hit the low of the year's growth curve as few cars are bought in summer.