(Yicai Global) July 6 -- Shares of Chinese automaker BYD rose after the firm said its new energy vehicle sales almost tripled last month from a year earlier.

BYD's Shenzhen-listed stock price [SHE: 002594] surged as much as 4.6 percent to CNY261.02 (USD40.40) intraday. Its Hong Kong-listed shares [HKG: 1211] climbed 2 percent to HKD236.80 (USD30.50) in the morning.

The company sold 41,400 NEVs in June, the Shenzhen-based firm said in a report released yesterday.

Total sales, including combustion engine cars, climbed 51 percent to 51,000 units, indicating the manufacturer's accelerating transition to electric vehicles. Gas car sales fell almost 51 percent in June, a much bigger decline than in the first six months of this year.

In the first half, the automaker sold 246,700 vehicles, rising almost 56 percent from a year ago. The number included 154,600 NEVs, up almost threefold.

Editor: Emmi Laine, Xiao Yi