(Yicai Global) Jan. 13 -- China recorded its highest monthly automobile sales for the year last month as the nation’s demand rebounded strongly as the COVID-19 pandemic came under control.

The total vehicle sales in December rose to 2.85 million units, up 6.4 percent from the same time last year, data the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers released today show. Passenger vehicle sales rose 7.2 percent to 2.38 million units, while those of commercial vehicles increased 2.4 percent to 456,000 units.

The world’s most populous country sold 25.31 million vehicle units last year, down only 1.9 percent from 2019 in the narrowest annualized drop for each month in 2020 as demand ballooned after the pandemic.

The nation's total vehicle sales should grow 2 percent to over 26 million this year, the trade group projected.

Editor: Ben Armour, Xiao Yi