BEIJING -- The production and sales of China's commercial vehicles hit record highs in March, data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers showed.

The country's commercial vehicle output stood at 579,000 units last month, surging 55.2 percent year-on-year, while sales of the vehicles jumped 68.1 percent to 651,000 units, according to the association.

In the first quarter of the year, the output of these vehicles topped 1.39 million units, up 76.9 percent year-on-year and rising 26.1 percent from the same period of 2019.

During the January-March period, over 1.4 million commercial vehicles were sold, soaring 77.3 percent year-on-year and registering a 26.9-percent growth from the same period of 2019.