BEIJING, Oct. 13-- China's auto sales rose 2.5 percent year on year to 1.98 million units in September, data from an industry association showed on Monday.

Vehicle output increased 4.2 percent to 2 million units in the month, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM).

In the first nine months, auto sales totalled 17 million units, up 7 percent from the same period last year.