China may overtake Japan to become the country with the second-most vehicles on the road by next year, Shanghai Securities News reported, citing Xu Changming, a research director at the State Information Center.

 
Vehicle ownership in China may rise to 75 million units by this year or next year from 63 million units in 2009, the report cited Xu as saying.

The number of vehicles in China is expected to eventually rise to about 490 million units, Xu was quoted as saying, without giving a date.

The US has the most vehicles on the road with more than 254 million registered in 2007, according to a research unit of the Department of Transportation.