TIANJIN - The northern Chinese port city of Tianjin saw an increase in the parallel-import auto business in June, with a surge of vehicles purchased directly from production bases and dealers abroad for sale in China.

In the first half of this year, the city saw a total of 38,400 parallel imports, accounting for over 60 percent of the country's total. In June alone, the number of parallel imports hit over 18,500 vehicles, according to the Tianjin Circulation Association of Parallel Import Cars.

Independent auto dealers in China make use of the parallel-import system to sell vehicles to Chinese customers at prices lower than those offered by authorized dealers.

Parallel-import vehicle sales are gaining momentum in China. Retail sales reached 55,200 units in the first half of this year, with over 12,000 units sold in June.