China has overtaken the United States in car sales in the first six months of 2009, by selling 6.1 million locally made vehicles in the period. The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) said that China’s car sales in June 2009 touched 1.14 million units, crossing the 1.1 million mark for the fourth consecutive month. In April 2009, 1.15 million vehicles were sold in China, the highest ever auto sales figure in the country. CAAM attributed China’s high car sales to the measures the country took to counter the financial crisis and the stimulus policies announced to support the auto industry. China had announced a $585 billion stimulus package in November 2008. The total car sales in China in the year 2009 are expected to reach the 11 million mark.
On the other hand, car sales in the United States dropped to only 4.8 million units in the first six months of 2009.
