Sales of new energy vehicles, which include electric cars and plug-in hybrids, are expected to hit 3 million units this year in China, said the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers on Tuesday.

The estimate came after the country's NEV production and sales hit a record in September, both exceeding 350,000 units.

NEV sales made up 17.3 percent of total vehicle deliveries in China last month. In the segment of passenger vehicles, their proportion was even higher, at 19.5 percent, said the CAAM.

In the first three quarters, NEV sales totaled about 2.16 million units, up 190 percent year-on-year, according to the association.

Xu Haidong, the association's deputy chief engineer, said he expects their sales will grow at a fast pace as well in the fourth quarter.

"NEV sales are very likely to hit 3 million this year," he said on Tuesday.

China's BYD, headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, was the best-selling NEV producer in the country last month.

It delivered over 70,000 electric cars and plug-in hybrids, up 276.4 percent year-on-year.

United States carmaker Tesla came second. It produced around 56,000 electric vehicles at its Shanghai plant, and over 52,000 were sold in the country.

Tesla sales in China in the first three quarters exceeded 200,000 units. It also exported around 100,000 vehicles from its Shanghai plant in the same period.

Chinese startups Nio and Xpeng each saw their monthly sales exceed 10,000 units for the first time in September.

Ma Lin, a Nio executive, said the company's sales in the fourth quarter this year would be better than in the third quarter as long as chip shortages would not worsen.