China's auto market 汽车市场 was the second largest in the world last year, behind the United States.

The new data 数据 suggests though that in the first few weeks of this year a lot more cars were sold here than in America.

The Chinese bought 735,000 new vehicles - about 78,000 more than were sold in the United States. Analysts 分析者 caution though that we shouldn't conclude that this is now the world's largest car market.

Sales are always higher in China ahead of the Lunar New Year celebrations, which this year came at the end of the January. In America they usually fall after Christmas.

Of course the economic crisis 金融危机 made the situation in the US even worse than normal.

But it's unlikely that China will maintain the number one position in world auto sales throughout the year.

The president of General Motors China Division, Kevin Wale points out that even if more cars are sold here than in the US, that doesn't necessarily mean more profit 利润 is generated in China:

"You need to recognise that the value of those sales are on average 平均 significantly lower than the sale of a vehicle in the US, so the revenue 收入 that's generated in the market will be significantly larger than the China market for quite some time to come."

As far as volume 量 of sales though, the direction of travel is clear. Mr Wale expects China to become the world's largest auto market within five to ten years.

Outside of big cities like Shanghai few Chinese people own a car and the big auto makers hope that, as standards of living 生活水平 continue to improve here, more will want to buy one.