China's automobile industry was expected to see a 24.8 percent yearly increase in sales volume in the first half of this year, according to data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers on Monday.

From January to June, the cumulative sales volume of the automobile sector was predicted to reach 12.8 million, with passenger cars and commercial vehicles up 26.2 percent and 20 percent year-on-year, respectively.

In June, the sector was estimated to see 1.93 million units in sales volume, a month-on-month decrease of 9.5 percent and a yearly decrease of 16.3 percent. The sales volume of passenger cars was expected to decrease by 14.9 percent yearly and that of commercial vehicles to be down 20.8 percent.

On the other hand, several new energy car manufacturers hit record highs in sales volume in June. Nio, XPeng, Li Auto and Leap Motor delivered 8,083, 6,565, 7,713 and 3,941 units of vehicles last month, respectively, and all enjoyed double-digit growth month-on-month, The Paper reported on Monday.

The country's sales of new energy vehicles are expected to surpass 2 million units this year, said Shi Jianhua, deputy secretary-general of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, to Securities Times in a recent interview.

The country's automobile production and sales registered 2.04 million and 2.13 million units, respectively, in May, down 8.7 percent and 5.5 percent month-on-month, and a year-on-year decrease of 6.8 percent and 3.1 percent, the association's data showed.

Chip shortage was one of the major reasons for the decline of automobile production and sales in May. The shortage of automobile chips would reach its peak in the second quarter this year, and then the tight supply situation could be eased in the second half of the year, The Paper reported, citing Ye Shengji, deputy secretary-general of the association. The supply of automobile chips was expected to return to normal in the middle of 2022, according to Ye.

By Wang Junwei