BYD NEV sales volume up 34% in Jan-Sept

BEIJING - China's leading new energy vehicle (NEV) maker BYD reported steady rise in the number of NEVs sold in the first nine months this year, the company said in an announcement Thursday.

The company sold 192,620 NEVs during the Jan-Sept period, up 34.31 percent from the same period last year, it said in a statement filed with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

In September, sales volume of NEVs by the company slumped some 50 percent year-on-year to 13,681 units, according to the statement.

Total vehicle sales reached 335,795 units in the first nine months, down 4.49 percent year-on-year.

The figures are unaudited and may be subject to adjustment, the statement said.

China's NEV makers have been experiencing a tough year as cuts in government subsidies weighed on sales.

After a three-month transition period ended on June 25, local governments stopped subsidizing purchases of NEVs other than new energy buses and fuel cell vehicles.

The country has vowed to take various measures to boost auto consumption, especially NEV sales. A key document published by the State Council in September has suggested local authorities ease restrictions on car purchases.