BEIJING - China's used car sales climbed 3.89 percent in the first eight months from a year earlier, according to a report by the China Automobile Dealers Association.

A total of 9.27 million used cars changed hands in the first eight months, involving 588 billion yuan ($83.05 billion), the report said.

In August, the traditional off-season, 1.2 million used cars were traded in key used car trading markets monitored by the association, down 1.18 percent from July but up 0.92 percent from a year earlier.

China is the world's largest auto market, selling 28.08 million motor vehicles last year.

To boost car sales, the government has announced a series of measures, including prohibiting local governments from restricting car purchases.