China's auto industry is estimated to have sold 2.204 million vehicles in May, down 2.1 percent from April and up 0.5 percent from a year ago, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) said Thursday.

Passenger car sales rose 6 percent in May from a year earlier, while commercial vehicle sales fell 8.8 percent from a year earlier, the CAAM said.

From January to May, cumulative sales in China's auto industry are estimated at 10.951 million units, up 37.6 percent from a year earlier.

In the first five months, passenger car sales rose 40.2 percent year-on-year and commercial vehicle sales rose 31.5 percent, the data showed.

Chinese electric vehicle maker Nio delivered 6,711 vehicles in May, up 95.3 percent from a year earlier but down 5.5 percent from April, according to data released earlier this week.

Nio's deliveries in May had been briefly affected by supply chain fluctuations due to chips and adjustments in the delivery chain, the company said, adding that its new orders continued to grow.

Xpeng Motors delivered 5,686 units in May, a 483 percent jump from a year ago and 10.47 percent higher than in April.

Li Auto delivered 4,323 units of the Li ONE, the company's only model, in May, up 101.3 percent from a year ago but down about 22 percent from April.

Neta Automobile, backed by China's largest cybersecurity company Qihoo 360, delivered 4,508 units in May, surpassing Li Auto and up 551 percent year-on-year.

Analysts explain why NIO, XPeng, Li Auto stocks fell early in the year and why they may have reached inflection point