China's car sales maintained their growth pace in 2024 as sales of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids in the world's largest auto market hit a record high amid a brutal price war and with subsidised trade-ins for greener vehicles driving purchases.

Sales of EVs and plug-in hybrids, known collectively as new energy vehicles (NEVs), rose 40.7% to make up 47.2% of total car sales last year, closing in on a 50% milestone, buoyed by a programme likened to the 2009 US "cash-for-clunkers" stimulus.

China has renewed a trade-in subsidy of up to 20,000 yuan ($2,730) to help underpin sales of fuel-efficient vehicles, including electric cars and hybrids.

The electrified car market in China is growing rapidly and is expected to surpass combustion vehicle sales by 2025, ten years earlier than planned.