BEIJING - China's passenger vehicle sales edged up slightly in 2017 and are expected to grow faster this year, according to an industrial association Tuesday.

About 24.2 million passenger vehicles were sold last year, up 1.5 percent year-on-year, according to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).

In December, about 2.8 million passenger cars were sold, up 0.6 percent year-on-year, while over 100,000 new energy vehicles were sold, marking a month-on-month increase for 11 months, CPCA data showed.

The association expected sales of passenger vehicles to pick up in 2018 to reach about 4 percent year-on-year growth.

China is the world's largest auto market and also the fastest-growing market for new energy vehicles, thanks to the government's preferential policies to boost clean energy use to curb pollution.