CHINA'S car numbers rose 32.5 percent to hit a record 15.22 million units last year, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.
This took the nation's total number of vehicles, including cars, trucks and vans, to 56.97 million units by the end of last year, 14.3 percent higher than a year earlier.
The number of privately owned vehicles rose 20.8 percent to 35.34 million.
Dong Yang, an official with the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, said there were about 50 cars for every 1,000 people in the country.
This proportion was less than the 120 units which is the global average and the 750 units per 1,000 people in the United States.
Dong said China's auto market was developing rapidly due to strong market demand over a fairly long period fueled by a shift in China's consumption pattern from food and clothing to housing and transport.