More than 90 percent of the steel used in Chinese cars is made in China, said Wu Xichun, chairman of China Iron and Steel Association (CISA), Thursday.

During a forum on machinery manufacturing, Wu said China imported is 2.19 million tons of steel for auto manufacture, 40.1 percent less than in 2003.

According to Wu, China uses its domestically made steel to make middle and low-grade cars and trucks, while half of the steel that used to made high-grade cars must be imported. Some high-tech parts must also be imported.