Beijing: 1 car for every 10 residents

One in ten persons in the Chinese capital enjoys the luxury of driving his own car, according to the local statistics bureau.

Fuelled by China's fast-paced economic growth, the sprawling metropolis with a population of nearly 11.5 million had 1.87 million vehicles by the end of last year, 1.3 million of which were privately owned.

The auto industry has become the backbone of the national capital, with total annual output of 539,000 vehicles, up 55.2 per cent over the previous year.

The output of sedans reached 1.87 million, an increase of 150 per cent from last year, Xinhua news agency reported.

Annual per capita income for urban residents was about $1,890, a high of 11.5 per cent over 2003.

The city's consumer price index, an index for inflation, was 1.1 per cent, nearly three points lower than the national average.