(Yicai Global) Aug. 18 -- Pick-up truck sales in Guangdong and other southern Chinese provinces stood out of the pack as sales in the country continued to grow in the first half, industry data shows.

In the first six months, some 181,132 pick-ups were sold across the country, equivalent to 56.6 percent of the whole-year total in 2016, recent figures from cnpickups.com show.

Yunnan province came out top with sales of 13,212 units, followed by Sichuan and Guangdong at 11,629 and 11,426 respectively. Guizhou province also racked up 10,348 sales.

The top five provinces, including the above four and Fujian, are all in southern China and share a common geological feature: mountains. Sales in central southern, southwestern and eastern parts of China made up 70 percent of the total number of pick-ups sold.

Taking the Qin Mountains and Huai River as a dividing line, sales in the south were significantly higher than the north.

Mountainous provinces have complicated road conditions and traffic access is not always convenient, industry insiders told Yicai Global. Sturdy, durable pick-up trucks are popular because of their superior performance.

In recent years, provinces along the upper reaches of the Yangtze River have seen rapid economic growth, and demand for pick-ups is rising as many small and micro enterprises crop up.

Pick-up trucks are more economical and practical than vans as they can carry both passengers and goods, have a larger capacity, more flexible space and are more reasonably priced than sports-utility vehicles, automotive industry analyst Zhang Zhiyong said.

A good truck can bring together the advantages of a range of vehicles, Zhang added, saying pick-ups will be another fast-growing market area behind SUVs.