BEIJING, April 21 -- China's pickup truck market expanded in the first quarter of 2024, with output and sales both increasing notably, industry data showed.

During this period, pickup truck production climbed 8.6 percent year on year to 128,000 units, while sales of pickup trucks rose by 8.1 percent to 135,000 units, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

The combined sales of the top 5 pickup truck manufacturers reached 106,000 units -- increasing by 11.9 percent and accounting for 78.6 percent of total sales, the data revealed.

In the first quarter, China's auto sales rose by 10.6 percent year on year to 6.72 million units, while auto output increased 6.4 percent year on year to about 6.61 million units.