CHINA'S passenger car sales rose nearly 47 percent last month to 829,100 units, buoyed by tax cuts and other government moves, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers said yesterday.

Sales of sedans, especially small cars, powered much of the increase last month, jumping 42.4 percent from a year earlier to 591,300 units.

Passenger car sales surged 21 percent in the first five months this year to 3.36 million units, while total vehicle sales climbed 14.3 percent to 4.96 million units, outpacing production of 4.84 million units, it said.

US sales of cars and light trucks rose 13 percent last month from April, to 925,824 units, though they fell nearly 34 percent from a year earlier, Autodata Corp said.