China’s passenger car sales rose 48 per cent in June on the same month last year, according to data released on Thursday. The rise consolidates a remarkable recovery that has catapulted China to the top position in the world vehicle market so far this year.

The strength of China’s vehicle sales – total vehicles sales rose 18 per cent for the first half year to 6.1m from the same period last year – has surprised car market analysts, government officials and even the country’s carmakers, many of whom are scrambling to produce enough vehicles to meet demand.