The First Automobile Works Group Company (FAW), one of China's top automobile producers, made a new record of exporting 10,336 motor vehicles last year, a 251 percent increase from 2003, the company said Wednesday.

All the exported automobiles are brands owned by FAW, the company said.

Meanwhile, FAW also set a record of selling more than 1 million motor vehicles last year, becoming China's largest automotive manufacturer.

The Chinese automaker is believed to be preparing to compete with foreign companies. It will develop related industries and lay a foundation for "high quality and low cost," a Chinese expert said.

Half of the million automobiles sold by the company were brands wholly owned by FAW, said An Dewu, FAW deputy general manager. Other brands are held by FAW-involved joint ventures.

To meet the challenges of market depression and high oil price, FAW has endeavored to cut production cost, develop new products and promote automobiles which consume less energy and produce less pollutants, An said.

FAW is based in Changchun, capital of northeast China's Jilin Province. It sold 169,000 heavy-duty trucks, 50,000 Mazda and Hongqi (red flag) sedan cars, 95,000 Toyota cars, 300,000 Volkswagen cars and 130,000 Xiali (Charade) cars last year.

It has built 2,888 service centers across the country.

(Xinhua News Agency January 20, 2005)