Output milestone as 10 millionth vehicle rolls off the assembly line

China's 10 millionth vehicle this year has rolled off the production line, ranking the country just behind the United States and Japan in breaking the annual output milestone, although analysts expect growth to slow next year.

The mainland has already overtaken the US as the world's largest vehicle market, as America has suffered from its worst recession since the Depression in the 1930s.

While the US may reclaim its top position after its battered economy recovers, analysts say faster sales growth on the mainland means it is just a matter of time before China becomes the long-term leading market.

Xinhua reported that the landmark vehicle was made by First Auto Works, the mainland's largest carmaker. Yesterday, FAW launched a new model of its Jiefang truck, with the first unit bearing the serial number 10,000,000.

Mainland vehicle sales jumped 34.2 per cent year on year in the first nine months of this year to 9.61 million units, data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers showed.

In September, sales in the biggest segment - passenger cars - soared 83.6 per cent, crossing the one-million-a-month mark for the first time.

The association forecast full-year sales would reach 12.6 million units this year, up 43.2 per cent from last year, largely because of Beijing's incentives for car buyers.