China's passenger car sales in November rose the most in the second half of this year, helping its domestic carmakers come out big winners last month when they posted a record high market share amid a boycott of Japanese auto brands following the Diaoyu Islands dispute.

Deliveries of sedans, sport-utility vehicles, multi-purpose vehicles and minivans in China surged 13 percent year on year in November, the biggest gain since June, to 1.42 million units, the China Passenger Car Association said yesterday.

Meanwhile, the nationwide boycott of Japanese brands fueled China's domestic brands to post a 20-year high share of 35.1 percent in the passenger car market by wholesale sales last month. The association predicted Japanese carmakers "still have a long way to go before getting back to 23 percent."

But the Chinese car brands still posted a negative growth rate on their accumulative sales this year partly because their offerings are less technologically advanced compared with those of their foreign rivals, it said.