Sales of pickup trucks in China rose 3 percent year on year in September, driven by surging market demand, industry data showed Tuesday.

Some 45,000 pickup trucks were sold in the country last month, surging 17 percent month on month, according to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).

The exports of such vehicles accounted for 52 percent of the country's total pickup truck sales, or 27 percent of overall truck sales, the CPCA data revealed.

The robust demand in overseas markets has promoted the continued growth of China's pickup truck exports since 2022, the CPCA said.

In the first three quarters of the year, China's pickup truck sales reached 386,000 units, up 2 percent year on year.

However, pickup truck production in the country fell by 4.5 percent year on year in September to 42,900 units, the data showed.

The performance of the domestic pickup market remained relatively stable, according to the CPCA.