China's auto sales rose 13.9 percent in 2013 from a year earlier to 21.98 million units, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) said on Thursday.

They were higher than expectations set at the beginning of last year, according to the CAAM.

The growth rate was 9.6 percentage points higher than the previous year.

China's auto output climbed 14.8 percent year on year to 22.12 million units. The growth rate was 10.2 percentage points higher than the previous year.