Employees work on an NEV assembly line in Yuncheng, Shanxi province, on Jan 15. (YAN XIN / FOR CHINA DAILY)

BEIJING - Sales of new energy vehicles in China surged in March, helping the country's automotive market to accelerate its green transition, data from an industry association showed Monday.

Last month, the retail sales of NEVs in China expanded 137.6 percent year-on -ear to 445,000 units, according to the China Passenger Car Association

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Last month, the retail sales of NEVs in China expanded 137.6 percent year-on-year to 445,000 units, according to the China Passenger Car Association

Chinese NEV manufacturers also reported strong wholesale figures in March, with 13 of them seeing their wholesales exceed 10,000 units.

China's leading NEV manufacturer BYD saw its wholesale figures reach 104,338 units, and Tesla China followed with 65,814 units last month, the CPCA said.

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Data from the association also showed the retail sales of passenger cars in China declined 10.5 percent year on year to nearly 1.58 million units last month.