BEIJING -- China's automobile manufacturing sector reported stable output and revenue growth in the first quarter of this year, data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers showed.

The industrial added value of the sector rose 4.4 percent year on year in the period, up 5.4 percentage points from the first two months and 1.5 percentage points higher than the whole manufacturing industry in the same period, according to the association.

In March alone, the sector's industrial added value jumped 13.5 percent year on year, the data revealed.

During the first three months of 2023, the combined operating revenue of companies in the sector topped 2.14 trillion yuan ($308 billion), up 1.3 percent year-on-year. The pace was 2.6 percentage points faster than that of the overall manufacturing industry.