sold 18,318 China-made vehicles in February, up 18 percent from 15,484 in January, according to data released Tuesday by the China Passenger Car Association.

The Model 3 sold 13,688 units in February, compared to 4,630 units of the Model Y, which went on sale in early January.

(Graphic by CnEVPost)

China's wholesale sales of new energy passenger vehicles reached 100,000 units in February, up 640.2 percent from a year earlier and down 39.5 percent from January, the data showed.

Of the total, 16,000 plug-in hybrids were sold, up 737.5 percent from a year earlier and accounting for 16 percent of all models. Wholesale sales of pure electric were 84,000 units, up 624.3 percent year-on-year.

January-February is traditionally a slow period for the Chinese auto industry.

Previously released data from car companies including , Motors, , and showed that their February sales were down significantly compared to January.

This is mainly because the Chinese auto market is traditionally slow from January to February, and the Chinese New Year holiday during this period can also cause large fluctuations in deliveries.

Last year, the Chinese New Year holiday ran from Jan. 24 to Jan. 31, and this year it runs from Feb. 11 to Feb. 17.