BEIJING, Feb. 17 -- The sales of new energy passenger cars in China accounted for nearly two-thirds of the world's total last year, industrial data showed.

Some 8.87 million units of such vehicles were sold in the Chinese market in 2023, up 37 percent from a year ago and making up 63.5 percent of the global sales, Cui Dongshu, secretary general of the China Passenger Car Association, said.

The penetration rate of new energy vehicles (NEVs) in China, or the proportion of NEVs in all car sales, rose to almost 30 percent in 2023.

The NEV market has witnessed robust expansion in China over the past years thanks to the country's accelerated push for green development and a rapidly growing auto market.

In 2023, electric passenger cars accounted for 69 percent of the country's sales, while plug-in hybrids gripped 31 percent.

As Chinese NEVs are also popular in the Southeast Asian and European markets, strong sales growth was seen in both the domestic market and exports, Cui said.

Earlier data showed that China's NEV exports in 2023 surged 77.6 percent year on year to 1.2 million units.