According to a report released by the Ministry of Environmental Protection on Monday, motor vehicles in China emitted 52.27 million tons of pollutants in 2010, Xinhua reported.

The pollutants included 40.8 million tons of carbon monoxide, 5.99 million tons of nitrogen oxide, 4.87 million tons of hydrocarbon and 598,000 tons of particulate matters, according to the 2011 China Vehicle Emission Control Annual Report.

The number of private cars nationwide jumped from 30.88 million in 2006 to 77.22 million in 2010, the report said.

The pollutants from?vehicles?are believed to be among the major contributors to the air pollution problems like smog and acid rain frequently occurring in some Chinese cities.

The ministry will strengthen its emission control work and intensify the administration and supervision of the production and use of vehicles, said the ministry's spokesman Tao Detian.

The ministry will also work with other government departments to launch comprehensive measures, including better industry planning, improved urban transportation and greater supplies of clean energy, to curb pollution, he said.

The report said that from 2006 to 2010, the country's total motor vehicles registered an annual growth rate of about 10 percent and the total number increased from 118 million to 190 million.

Moreover, the number of cars nationwide jumped from 30.88 million to 77.22 million over the same period, representing a 150-percent increase, the report said.

Tao said the country's efforts in vehicle emissions control have proved to be effective.

Although the number of motor vehicles increased by 60.9 percent, the volume of vehicle emissions only rose by 6.4 percent, he said.