Beijing had 1.54 million private cars at the end of 2005, which meant one out of every 10 Beijingers owns a car, the city's statistical bureau said.

At the end of 2005, Beijing had 15.38 million permanent residents.

In the meantime, its total number of private cars climbed 18.7 percent over the 2004 figure, the municipal bureau of statistics said in a latest report on the city's economic growth.

It said Beijing's total number of civil vehicles reached 2.146 million last year, including 1.308 million sedan cars.

These were up 14.7 percent and 19.3 percent respectively over the 2004 volumes and were 1.1 times and 1.7 times over the 2000 figures, it said.

Industry insiders predicted China's car ownership had topped 30 million units by the end of 2005, thanks to the country's fast-growing auto industry.?

(Xinhua News Agency January 29, 2006)