China's largest land port expects car import boom

URUMQI - Alataw Pass, China's largest land port, is expected to process more than 1,000 of imported finished automobiles this year, more than any other regular land port in China.

The port, which started to import cars in September, has processed 283 parallel imported cars, including 138 in the first two months this year, according to Zhu Yunchao with Alataw Pass bonded area.

The automobiles, including brands such as Land Rover, Benz, Toyota and Lada, mainly came from Russia, Germany and the United Arab Emirates.

The bonded area, which has 13 automobile import firms, has been running a pilot program on parallel import of cars since September. The program allows dealers to purchase cars directly from abroad, resulting in lower prices for buyers.

Earlier this month, a train carrying 120 parallel imported Lada Niva SUVs from Russia was the first to use this transport method for car import in the country's bonded areas.