China's 2014 auto sales to surge: report

China's automobile sales will rise by 8 to 10 percent this year to a new high, a report forecast on Tuesday.

As many as 24.18 million vehicles may be sold in the country this year, according to a report released on Tuesday by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM).

Shi Jianhua, deputy secretary-general of the CAAM, said that demand will be boosted partly by China's urbanization push and upgrades in consumption patterns, though a number of big cities facing congestion and pollution problems have rolled out measures to restrict auto purchase.

China has been the world's largest auto market and producer for five consecutive years, with sales and production both exceeding 20 million units for the first time in 2013. Sales rose 13.9 percent to 21.98 million vehicles.