BEIJING -- Sales of new energy passenger cars in China soared in September 2023, data from an industry association showed Wednesday.

Last month, retail sales of new energy passenger vehicles in China expanded 22.1 percent year-on-year to 746,000 units, according to the China Passenger Car Association.

In the first nine months of the year, nearly 5.19 million units of these cars were sold via retail channels, surging 33.8 percent from a year ago, the association said.

Wholesale sales of these cars reached 829,000 units in September, up 23 percent year-on-year.

The data also revealed that exports of China's new energy passenger cars skyrocketed 107 percent from a year ago to 91,000 units, accounting for 25.4 percent of the country's total passenger car exports.

The association remained upbeat about the export prospects of new energy vehicles. With the advantage of scale and market expansion, more and more made-in-China new energy products have gone global, gaining higher acceptance overseas, it said.