New models are bringing back China's car consumers. After a recent slump, passenger car sales rose to 8.6 million units in August--that's 3.3 percent higher from a year earlier.

An adequate market supply and bigger sales discounts helped power demand. However, the data isn't all optimistic. Though August saw a rebound, car sales for the first seven months of the year grew only 3.2 percent, compared to a 30-percent surge last year.

With China's tightening monetary stance and curbs on vehicle registrations in big cities, one insider says he does not expect a major sales increase without further government subsidies.