BEIJING, June 9 -- China's automobile exports maintained growth momentum in May, industry data showed Friday.

A total of 389,000 vehicles were exported last month, surging 58.7 percent year on year, data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers showed.

The figure represented a 3.4-percent month-on-month increase.

Passenger vehicle exports rose 66.3 percent from a year ago to 325,000 units, while exports of commercial vehicles climbed 28.6 percent from the same period last year to 63,000 units.

In the first five months, nearly 1.76 million vehicles were exported, soaring 81.5 percent year on year.