BEIJING - China's auto sales rose 10.6 percent year-on-year to 6.72 million units in the first quarter of this year, data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers showed Wednesday.

In March alone, auto sales exceeded 2.69 million units, up 9.9 percent year-on-year.

In the first quarter, auto output increased 6.4 percent year-on-year to about 6.61 million units.

The data showed that the production and sales of new-energy vehicles (NEVs) maintained rapid momentum during the period.

The NEV output surged 28.2 percent year-on-year to nearly 2.12 million units and NEV sales climbed 31.8 percent year-on-year to 2.09 million units.

The auto exports rose 33.2 percent year-on-year to over 1.32 million units, the data showed.