The rate of China's auto sales to production hit a record high of 101.9 percent this August, sources from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) said Wednesday.

In August, China manufactured 375,200 autos and sold 382.300, up 5.79 percent and 10.5 percent from July respectively. In the same month, 171,900 sedans were produced and 170,300 sold, growing 0.02 percent and 0.23 percent respectively. The total number of trucks and buses sold were both 4,000 more than their production.

China produced 3.4057 million automobiles and sold 3.28 million in the first eight months of this year, with the ratio of sales to production at 96.31 percent.

An official from CAAM said the sales volume of cars in China has declined for five months since last March. This August began to see the first rise in the ratio of sales to production, thanks to adjusted marketing strategies by automakers.

With the week-long National-holiday approaching, the official predicted that sales volume will continue to rise in September and October.

(Xinhua News Agency September 23, 2004)