BEIJING, June 8 -- Automakers in China saw auto sales climbed 53.25 percent from a year earlier to exceed 7.5 million units in the first five months of the year, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) said in a statement released Tuesday.

Auto production also grew 55.39 percent year on year in the January-May period, said CAAM.

The association estimated that both auto sales and production in China would exceed 15 million units this year, according to the statement.