Car buyers in China are boosting the economy with strong demand for electric vehicles. New vehicle sales in the country continued to surge through September.

The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers says over 2.6 million new vehicles were sold in the country last month. That's up more than 25 percent year-on-year.

So-called "new energy" vehicles such as electric cars accounted for over 700,000 of the total, nearly doubling from a year earlier.

That's a big turnaround from the recent slump caused mainly by coronavirus lockdowns in Shanghai. Sales have been soaring since June, helped by policy measures as cutting sales taxes on some models by half.

The robust performance appears to be bolstering China's slowing economy. But auto-industry watchers question whether sales can continue to rise. They say the outlook is uncertain amid the continuing spread of the coronavirus.