BYD was the top auto brand in China in terms of retail sales for the fourth consecutive month this year.

Retail sales of BYD passenger cars in China in October were 205,789 units, contributing 11.2 percent of all passenger car sales in the country, according to data released Wednesday by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).

BYD sold 217,816 new energy vehicles (NEVs) worldwide in October, including 217,518 passenger cars and 298 commercial vehicles, according to figures released earlier this month.

In October, BYD sold 9,529 NEVs in overseas markets. The company stopped production and sales of vehicles powered entirely by internal combustion engines in March.

China's retail sales of passenger cars rose 7.5 percent to 1.842 million units in October, down 4.2 percent from September, according to the CPCA.

The combined retail sales of the top 15 vehicle companies contributed 77 percent with 1.148 million units, up 2.5 percentage points from September.

Five companies retailed more than 100,000 units in October, namely BYD, FAW-Volkswagen, Geely Auto, Changan Automobile and SAIC-Volkswagen, with BYD topping the list for the fourth consecutive month this year, the CPCA noted.

FAW-Volkswagen's retail sales in China in October were 136,679 units, ranking second with a 7.4 percent share, according to the CPCA.

Geely and Changan had retail sales of 134,099 and 123,655 units in China in October, with shares of 7.3 percent and 6.7 percent, respectively.