BYD car sales rise 50 pct in first 9 months -paper

SHANGHAI Oct 16 (Reuters) - Chinese electric car and battery maker BYD Co Ltd's (1211.HK) nine-month car sales soared 50 percent over the previous year to almost 300,000 units, the China Securities Journal reported on Friday.

MidAmerican Energy Holdings, a unit of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (BRKa.N), has a stake in the carmaker, which has plans to sell its all-electric car e6 in the United States starting in 2010.

Sales in September increased 88 percent to 44,000 cars, the newspaper reported, quoting an unnamed company official.

The strong sales come as China's government has been encouraging local automakers to focus on more fuel efficient models and environmentally friendly technologies. (Reporting by Melanie Lee; Editing by Ken Wills)