(Yicai Global) Dec. 20 -- Chinese car manufacturing giant SAIC Motor is on track to ship more than one million new energy vehicles this year as sales rocket.

SAIC’s electric car shipments surged 45.8 percent in the first 11 months from the same period last year to 930,000 units and should top one million before the end of the year, the Shanghai-based carmaker said recently.

The vast majority of the sales, at 535,000 units, came from its joint venture SAIC-GM-Wuling, maker of its popular mini electric hatchback. This was a 34.8 percent jump from a year ago.

The JV with Germany’s Volkswagen, SAIC-Volkswagen, shifted 90,000 autos, a 84 percent year on year leap, while SAIC-GM’s shipments more than doubled to 44,000 units.

And its new EV marques, Rising Auto and IM, started deliveries this year. IM shipped 4,545 autos in the first 11 months while Rising Auto, which only began mass production in November, sold 1,501 units last month.

SAIC plans to double the proportion of its NEV shipments to 40 percent of total car sales by 2025, it added.

China’s NEV sales and market share are beating market forecasts, prompting many conventional carmakers to boost their electric car production.

Changan Automobile aims to sell 1.05 million NEVs in 2025, Chairman Zhu Huarong said in June.

Dongfeng Motor has set itself the goal of selling one million electric cars by 2025, Deputy General Manager You Zheng said last month.

In addition, some carmakers are no longer selling fossil fuel-powered cars. BYD was the first to stop doing so, saying in April that it discontinued production of gasoline-powered autos in March.

Great Wall Motor’s truck making unit Changzheng Auto Works said in June that it intends to only make electric autos. While Dongfeng Motor’s Forthing said recently that it will stop manufacturing fossil fuel-powered vehicles within five years.

China’s NEV market penetration rate may top 47 percent by 2025, President and Chief Executive Officer Enno Tang of German automotive parts maker Continental's China division told Yicai Global in a recent interview.

Editor: Kim Taylor