BEIJING, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- China's new energy vehicles (NEVs) performed strongly, with production surging 29 percent year on year to 1.02 million units in January, industry data showed on Monday.

NEV sales grew rapidly by 29.4 percent year on year to 944,000 units in January -- accounting for 38.9 percent of total new vehicle sales last month, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM).

China's auto industry witnessed a steady start to the year, with both passenger car production and sales posting year-on-year increases in January.

Total passenger car output reached 2.15 million units last month, up 3.3 percent year on year, while sales grew 0.8 percent year on year to top 2.13 million units.

Meanwhile, China's auto exports rose 6.1 percent year on year last month, totaling 470,000 units in January.

Boosted by the implementation of pro-consumption measures, such as a consumer goods trade-in program, China's auto industry will continue to post stable development, said Chen Shihua, deputy secretary-general of the CAAM.