BEIJING - China imported 117,000 automobiles in May, marking a 51.4-percent surge from a year earlier, according to data from the China Automobile Trading Co.

Of the total, imports of passenger vehicles rose 51.9 percent year on year to reach 114,900 units, the CATC said in a report released Wednesday.

Imports of sedans rose 28.9 percent year-on-year to 46,000 units, while that of SUVs went up 71.9 percent to 63,000 units, said the CATC, one of the country's major importers.

Over the January-May period, auto imports increased 27.6 percent from last year to hit 489,500 units. Of these, imports of passenger vehicles wentup 27.9 percent to 479,200 units, it said.

Along with the import jump, discounts on imported autos continued to increase. The average price discount reached 55,500 yuan ($8,810) in May, a rise of 11,000 yuan from April, it noted.