Auto products sales in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region totaled over 20 billion yuan (about 3.17 billion U.S dollars) in 2011, up 23.7 percent from the previous year.

Meanwhile, about 16,000 vehicles were exported to other countries from Xinjiang. The figure was a 70-percent increase year-on-year, said a report from the Department of Commerce of Xinjiang.

The vehicle market in Xinjiang has huge potential, and automobiles will become an important commodity to boosting the regions' economic development, said the report.

Regarding those vehicles exported from Xinjiang, a large portion were large-and-medium-sized heavy trucks which have been in demand in Central Asian countries due to their competitive price, according to the report.