Motorcycle Exports Top 3m Units in Jan-May

BEIJING, Jun. 18 -- China exported 3.15 million motorcycles from January to May this year, up 39 percent compared to the same period in 2009 as both sales and motorcycle production in China soared, the country's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said Thursday.

The total value of motorcycle exports in the first five months stood at $1.45 billion, up 35 percent over last year.

Further, a total of 727,000 motorcycles were exported in May alone, up 45 percent year-on-year.

Sales in the first five months within China reached 11.7 million units, a year-on-year rise of 19 percent, while production was boosted by 22 percent to reach 11.95 million units, according to figures released by the ministry.

During the same period, domestic sales of commercial buses reached 159,800 units, up 42 percent year-on-year, with 34,300 units sold just in May, which was a 39 percent increase over last year.

The top five sellers of buses included Brilliance Auto, Jiangling Motors, Nanjing Iveco Motor, Zhengzhou Yutong, and Foton.