Car population reaches quarter billion

China had about 250 million cars by the end of June, according to the Ministry of Public Security which released the data on Thursday.

There were 3.44 million new energy cars in China, which accounted for 1.37 percent of the total, the ministry said. 

The number of newly-registered automobiles reached 12.42 million units in the first half, down 10.06 percent compared with the same period last year amid a cooling market.

In terms of urban distribution, altogether 66 cities in China were found to have more than one million cars, 29 cities with more than two million and 11 with more than three million. Beijing and Chengdu had more than five million.

In comparison with a sluggish new car market, 11.7 million vehicles changed hands in the first half, an increase of 1.4 million from the same period last year. 

The proportion of used cars and new cars registered reached 0.94:1, a significant increase from the 0.74:1 ratio last year.