BEIJING - Chinese automakers produced 24,500 new energy vehicles in August, up 372 percent from a year earlier, official data showed on Wednesday.

The output was also higher than 20,400 vehicles manufactured in July, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said in a statement.

Among them, about 65 percent were new energy passenger vehicles, while the remainder were commercial vehicles, the statement said.

In the first eight months, production totaled 123,500, up 297 percent from the same period last year.

The sector has seen explosive growth in the past two years, as the government promotes the use of new energy vehicles with subsidies and tax cuts in a bid to cut emissions and save energy.