Sales of vehicles in China rose about eight percent to 9.4 million units in 2008, less than half the growth rate for the previous year, state media reported Monday, citing an industry group.

Demand for vehicles has been hit by the global economic slowdown, and the outlook for 2009 remains gloomy, the People's Daily reported, citing Hu Maoyuan, chairman of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

The sales growth rate for 2008 followed an expansion of 21.8 percent in 2007 over the previous year, according to earlier reports.

"In 2008, China's automobile market has slowed down its pace amid the global financial crisis," Hu, who is also chairman of China's top auto maker Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation, was quoted as saying.

"It is foreseeable that China's auto market will remain in a cyclical downturn trend in 2009. We hope things would get better in the second half," he said.

For the first 11 months of the year, vehicle sales rose 8.5 percent from a year earlier to 8.6 million units. In November alone, auto sales fell 14.6 percent year on year.

State media has reported China will announce stimulus measures in the first quarter to keep its slowing auto sector growing at about 10 percent annually during the global economic slowdown.

Ford China joint venture sales down 5.9 percent
US automaker Ford Motor Co. said Monday sales at its passenger vehicle joint venture in China fell 5.9 percent to 204,344 in 2008.

The American automaker sold a total of 306,306 units in China last year, including those produced by its Changan Ford Mazda Automobile joint venture, the company said in a statement.

"Despite the current challenges of the market, we remain committed to continually building the efficiency of our business," Ford Motor China Chief Executive Robert Graziano said in a statement.

It was not possible to compare the figure with previous years when the company included the Volvo, Jaguar and Land Rover brands in its sales figures.

Ford sold Jaguar and Land Rover last year and is reportedly seeking to sell Volvo.

The carmaker also included, for the first time, commercial vehicles produced by its Jiangling Motors Corporation in its overall China sales figure.

Jiangling sales accounted for 95,171 units in Ford's 2008 China sales figure.

Vehicle sales in China rose about 6.7 percent to 9.4 million units in 2008, less than half the growth rate for the previous year, state media reported Monday, citing China Association of Automobile Manufacturers figures.

The global economic slowdown has hit Chinese demand for vehicles and the outlook for 2009 remains gloomy, the association forecast.