BEIJING, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Sales of cars in the booming China market leapt to a monthly record in September ahead of an annual one-week holiday, putting the country on track to notch record market growth this year, official figures showed Monday.
Monthly car sales hit 180,000 for the first time in September, the State Statistical Bureau said on its Web site www.stats.gov.cn. It did not offer comparative figures.
Some 190,000 cars rolled off production lines in September, up 69.7 percent from the year-earlier period, it added.
China's car sales soared 60 percent to 1.2 million last year, making it the world's fastest growing major car market.
Car output in China surged an annual 87.2 percent to 1.44 million in the first nine months of the year. Analysts expect close to two million sedans would be made and sold in China in 2003.
The bureau did not give sales figures for January to September.
Foreign car makers from Volkswagen AG to General Motors Corp have flocked to China to cash in on the boom despite heated competition with more than 120 local auto makers. ($1=8.276 Yuan)