BEIJING - China's annual auto sales hit a new high at 19.31 million units in 2012, an industry association said Friday.

The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) said in a news release that the sales last year was up 4.33 percent year-on-year.

Meanwhile, auto production grew 4.63 percent from a year earlier to 19.27 million vehicles last year, the CAAM said.