China has issued a ranking of the top 10 motor vehicle companies based on their sales performance in 2005.

 

The top three are First Automotive works (FAW), Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation and Dongfeng Motor Corporation, which sold 983,100, 917,500 and 729,000 cars in 2005 respectively.

 

These 10 companies account for over 80 percent of China's auto market in 2005. It is the first time for the Anhui-based Chery company and Zhejiang-based Geely firm to enter top 10. They sold 189,000 and 149,000 cars in 2005, up 118 and 49 percent respectively.

 

The list was compiled by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

 

Last year, China's vehicle output grew 12.56 percent to 5.71 million units over the previous year, and sales of domestically-made vehicles grew 13.54 percent to 5.76 million units, according to statistics from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

 

(Xinhua News Agency January 15, 2006)