New models rev up sales for domestic automakers

XPeng showcases the P7+ at the 2025 Auto Shanghai on April 23. (CAO YINGYING/CHINA DAILY)

Major carmakers in China saw an upward trajectory in April, a trend analysts say would continue with the slew of models unveiled at the Auto Shanghai to hit the market one after another in the following months.

Nationwide passenger car retail sales hit 1.79 million units last month, up 17 percent year-on-year, according to the China Passenger Car Association.

Of them, 52 percent were new energy vehicles, totaling 922,000 units, up 37 percent year-on-year.

Automakers ranging from BYD and Geely to startups such as Leapmotor and XPeng all reported robust year-on-year growth, although their strategies to capture a bigger share in the fiercely competitive market vary.

Automakers kicked off April with a remarkably active pipeline of new model releases, said Cui Dongshu, secretary-general of the CPCA.

He said the continued push around the fixed-price sales strategies and zero-interest financial packages also helped boost sales.

Also, many manufacturers moved quickly to capitalize on the government's vehicle replacement stimulus, rolling out factory-backed subsidies for trade-ins — and those efforts have clearly paid off.

BYD, China's largest NEV manufacturer, maintained its strong growth trajectory with April sales of 380,089 units — a record for the month — up 21.3 percent year-on-year.

Overseas momentum also continued to build, with 78,700 passenger cars and pickup trucks sold abroad.

The Shenzhen-based group's diverse brand portfolio, including Dynasty, Ocean, Denza, Yangwang and Fangchengbao, contributed across all segments, reinforcing its status as the leading force in the global NEV scene.

BYD's Ocean series unveiled five models at the Shanghai auto show, which are hitting the market one after another.

Chery Group posted total sales of 200,760 units in April, up 10.3 percent year-on-year. Its NEV sales more than doubled in April, reaching 61,000 units, surging 85.5 percent year-on-year, while exports totaled 88,000 vehicles, keeping Chery in pole position among Chinese car exporters.

In the first four months of this year, Chery sold over 820,000 vehicles, including 343,203 exports and 224,629 NEVs, the latter marking a 140.7 percent jump from a year earlier.

Geely Auto sold 234,112 passenger vehicles in April, up 53 percent year-on-year. NEVs accounted for 54 percent of that volume — both a single-month record for the company in terms of units sold and NEV proportions.

SAIC Motor sold 376,517 units last month, up 4.59 percent year-on-year, lower than the industry average.

Its subsidiaries saw different results. SAIC Volkswagen sold nearly 83,000 vehicles, a 10 percent fall year-on-year. Another joint venture SAIC GM delivered 42,069 units, a 15 percent fall from April 2024.

SAIC GM said at the Shanghai auto show that it is rolling out six NEV models in 12 months to improve its competitive edge in the Chinese market.

SAIC Motor's indigenous brands, Roewe and MG, sold 67,898 vehicles combined, marking a notable year-on-year uptick. Premium EV marque IM Motors delivered 4,366 vehicles, up 55 percent.

Changan Auto recorded 206,047 retail sales in April, a 5.2 percent rise. Its Deepal brand delivered 20,138 vehicles, up 58 percent.

Avatr, another Changan-backed NEV brand, reached 11,681 units, up 122.6 percent year-on-year — a monthly record for the brand.

Among startups, Leapmotor delivered 41,039 vehicles in April, a year-on-year increase of 172 percent, the strongest growth rate among emerging players.

Its sales are expected to grow further as the B10 SUV hit the market in early April and another model, the B01 sedan, will be launched in July.

XPeng Motors delivered 35,045 vehicles in April, a 273 percent increase from a year earlier. The newly launched 2025 XPeng X9 MPV helped underpin the volume rebound.

Li Auto delivered 33,939 vehicles, up 31.6 percent year-on-year. The company has set a full-year sales target of 700,000 vehicles, including 560,000 to 650,000 extended-range models.

Nio posted deliveries of 23,900 units in April — up 53 percent year-on-year and 58.9 percent from March.

Of these, 19,300 vehicles came from the Nio brand, while 4,400 were delivered under the newly launched Onvo brand. Its Firefly sub-brand also debuted its first vehicle in April — a compact model with two variants — expanding Nio's reach into the entry-level market.

Xiaomi, China's youngest carmaker, reported deliveries of over 28,000 vehicles in April — slightly below the 29,000-plus units sold in March.

Its second model, the YU7 SUV, is scheduled for launch between June and July, which the company hopes will reboot its sales momentum hurt by a fatal crash in March.