Sales of electric vehicle (EVs) in China jumped by 80% year on year to 77,000 units in September, according to a report released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM).
This was well above the association's expectations for the month and puts the market well within reach of the government's 700,000 sales target for 2017.
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The cumulative nine month tally was 398,000 units, almost 82% higher than the 219,000 sold in the same period of last year.
A CAAM spokesperson said the fourth quarter is normally a peak period for EV purchases in China and the market is expected to meet the government's full year target.
Local industry analysts have suggested improvements in EV technology among domestic vehicle manufacturers, along with generous government incentives and privileged access to city centres across the country, has helped improve demand for these vehicles among domestic buyers.
Last month China's ministry of industry and information technology announced higher minimum quotas for new energy vehicle sales which mostly include electric and hybrid vehicles. From 2019, at least 10% of new vehicle sales will have to be new energy vehicles, rising to 12% by 2020.
