BEIJING, Oct. 19 -- China's automobile manufacturing industry registered steady expansion in the first eight months of this year, industry data showed.

The industrial added-value of the sector surged 11.7 percent year on year during the period, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

Combined operating revenue of the industry came in at 6.17 trillion yuan (about 859.39 billion U.S. dollars), soaring 10.9 percent from the same period last year.

Companies in the sector raked in a total profit of 303.59 billion yuan in the same period, up 2.4 percent over one year earlier, the data revealed.