BEIJING -- China's new-energy vehicle (NEV) sales maintained rapid growth momentum in May amid the country's efforts to rev up the auto industry, according to industry data released Friday.

Last month, the country sold a total of 447,000 NEVs, with sales skyrocketing by 105.2 percent year on year, data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers shows.

In the first five months, more than 2 million NEVs were sold across the country, up 111.2 percent from a year earlier.

Friday's data also shows that China's auto sales declined by 12.6 percent year on year to 1.86 million units last month.

About 799,000 Chinese-brand passenger cars were sold in May, up 17.5 percent year on year, and with their market share reaching 49.2 percent.