BEIJING, Aug. 8 -- Sales of China's new energy passenger vehicles registered robust expansion in July, industry data showed.

About 878,000 units of such vehicles were sold last month, surging 36.9 percent year on year, according to the China Passenger Car Association.

China also exported around 92,000 new energy passenger vehicles in July, up 1.3 percent over a year earlier and 18.2 percent from the previous month, the data revealed, accounting for 24.5 percent of the total export of passenger vehicles.

More and more new energy brands made in China are exported abroad, and their overseas recognition continues to increase. Although there has been some external interference recently, the prospect of the new energy vehicle export market is still promising in the long run, the association said.

The proportion of new energy vehicle sales in total vehicle sales came in at 51.1 percent in July, up 15 percentage points from the same period last year.

The association attributes the rapid growth mainly to the country's robust manufacturing sector and industrial chains, as well as the advancement of new quality productive forces.

China's exports of passenger vehicles hit 376,000 units in July, marking a 20 percent increase year on year and remains stable compared to the previous month.

Retail sales of passenger cars in the country reached 1.72 million units last month, edging down 2.8 percent year on year.