(autoinsidernews) - China has passed Japan to become the worlds second largest automotive market, behind the U.S., with sales, including imports, totalling 3.6 million vehicles in the first half of 2006. This increase is in contrast to Japans declining car market, where sales fell 1.2 percent to 3.0 million vehicles over the same period, reports Trend.
Japan still manufactures more cars than China, but China is expected to pass Japan in the next five to six years as automakers add more capacity.