China's auto sales up 8.7 pct in first nine months

China's auto sales rose 8.7 percent year on year to 18.62 million units in the first nine months of 2021, data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers showed Tuesday.

Sales of passenger vehicles increased 11 percent year on year to 14.86 million units in the January-September period, according to the data.

In September alone, auto sales totaled about 2.07 million units, down 19.6 percent year on year.