Discontinued operations - Zhejiang (Details 2) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2012
Revenue from component of discontinued operations	$ 3,713
Pretax profit from component of discontinued operations	$ 92

This element represents the pretax profit from the component of discontinued operations during the reporting period.

No definition available.

Name:	caas_PretaxProfitFromComponentOfDiscontinuedOperations
Namespace Prefix:	caas_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	duration