Editor's note: It was a year of record sales and the biggest-ever Chinese acquisition of a foreign automaker, but as 2010 drew to a close, the Beijing municipal government moved to drastically reduce the number of new cars sold in the city in 2011. China Daily auto writers Gong Zhengzheng and Han Tianyang report on what made news in the last 12 months.

Fast lane

Advertisement above a Beijing car sales and service shop open late into the night of Dec 23 warns that city government restrictions on new car registration will take effect the following day. Just 240,000 new cars will be allowed in 2011 due to rising traffic congestion in the capital. [Photo / Asianewsphoto]

Vehicle production and sales in China continued on the fast track this year, powered by the country's steady economic growth and the mounting consumer demand for mobility.

According to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, both production and sales hit 16.4 million units in the first 11 months, surging 33.7 percent and 34.1 percent from a year ago.

Full-year production and sales will both exceed 18 million units, maintaining China's crown of the world's top vehicle producer and market.