BEIJING, Feb. 7 -- China's vehicle sales surged 47.9 percent year on year in January to nearly 2.44 million units, said China Association of Automobile Manufacturers on Wednesday.

The country's vehicle output last month increased by 51.2 percent year on year to 2.41 million units, according to the association.

Specifically, passenger car output and sales stood at 2.08 million units and 2.12 million units, up 49.1 percent and 44 percent year on year, respectively, according to data released by the association.

Commercial vehicle output rose by 66.2 percent year on year to 327,000 units, while commercial vehicle sales soared 79.6 percent year on year to 324,000 units.

The new energy vehicle (NEV) sector maintained fast growth momentum last month. The country's NEV output reached 787,000 units, climbing 85.3 percent compared with a year earlier. NEV sales rose 78.8 percent year on year to 729,000 units.

Total vehicle exports amounted to 443,000 units in January, an increase of 47.4 percent year on year. NEV exports rose 21.7 percent year on year last month to reach 101,000 units, the data revealed.