Auto sales in China are expected to cross 10 million vehicles in 2008, according to Cai Weici, vice chairman of China Machinery Industry Federation (CMIF) on Monday.

In 2007, according to official figures, China had 8.8 million automobiles, higher by 22.02 per cent than in the previous year.

A recent survey by the State Information Centre revealed more than 10 million Chinese households wanted to buy private cars soon. The huge sales growth is boosted by rising incomes and falling car prices.

Auto manufacturers are focusing on bringing out more cars in 2008 with advanced technology. The country is also stepping up its research and development of clean energy vehicles, including electric, fuel cell and hybrid automobiles, as energy saving and environmental protection has become a key concern of the country, said the CMIF.

The country had a total of 2.5 million commercial vehicles in 2007, which 22.2 per cent more than the previous year and passenger vehicles numbers stood at 6.38 million, up 21.94 percent year on year. 2007 was the first year, when the growth rate of commercial vehicles surpassed passenger vehicles, CIMF figures show.