According to the report from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), China's vehicle sales fell for a third consecutive year in 2020, but year-on-year sales rose for a ninth straight month in December.

China's auto sales fell 1.9% to 25.3 million vehicles last year from 2019.

Sales in the world's biggest auto market rose 6.4% in December from a year earlier to reach 2.83 million vehicles. But the pace of growth slowed sharply from a 12.6% year-on-year rise in November.

Passenger vehicle sales fell 6% for the full year of 2020, data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) showed.

For commercial vehicles, which constitute around a quarter of the overall market, sales surged 19%, driven by government investment in infrastructure and as buyers upgraded to comply with tougher emissions rules.

Sales of new energy vehicles (NEVs) in 2020 increased 11% from 2019 to 1.37 million units. NEVs include battery-powered electric, plug-in petrol-electric hybrid and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles.