BEIJING, April 17 -- China's automobile exports registered strong expansion in the first quarter (Q1) of this year, industry data shows.

A total of 994,000 vehicles were exported in this period, soaring 70.6 percent from a year ago, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

In breakdown, passenger vehicle exports jumped 82.9 percent year on year to 826,000 units, while exports of commercial vehicles climbed 28.1 percent from a year ago to 168,000 units.

In the January-March period, exports of new-energy vehicles more than doubled to 248,000 units, the data also reveals.