Electric car market in China: Leapmotor breaks through the 100,000-car sales barrier
Stellantis’ partner brand climbs the rankings and overtakes Changan. BYD remains the market leader.
July 2026 will be remembered as a pivotal moment for the electric car market in China. Among the latest figures on new energy vehicle deliveries, one number stands out and is particularly striking: 101,267. This is the milestone achieved by Leapmotor, which, for the first time in its history, has broken through the 100,000-unit barrier in a single month, recording an incredible 102 per cent increase compared with the same period last year.
A leap forward that marks a significant overtaking manoeuvre. If we focus solely on the plug-in car sector, Leapmotor has overtaken a giant such as Changan – which sold 96,500 units – and is now just a stone’s throw away from Geely Galaxy, the flagship of the Geely Group. The latter recorded 107,797 deliveries in July. Driving this golden spell is, above all, the small A10 — known on international markets as the B03X — which alone accounted for over 28,000 deliveries, making up almost 30 per cent of the brand’s total.
BYD remains unrivalled; Nio and Xiaomi are doing very well
At the top of the rankings, the ever-present BYD remains unrivalled. The Chinese giant ended July with an impressive 411,072 cars sold, confirming a steady growth trend over the past three months. Its expansion beyond national borders is particularly impressive: exports reached 180,000 units, setting a new all-time record for the company. Within the BYD group, the Fang Cheng Bao brand is soaring with a 190 per cent surge, supported by Denza’s excellent performance.
Looking at the other players in the market, July’s sales figures paint a very mixed picture and, in some cases, reveal some unexpected results. Nio has had a decidedly positive month with nearly 36,000 deliveries and year-on-year growth of 71 per cent, driven primarily by the strong performance of its sub-brands Onvo and Firefly. Xiaomi has once again proved itself to be an extremely solid player in the automotive sector, comfortably exceeding the 30,000-car delivery mark.
Hima, the alliance led by Huawei, is also performing well, maintaining a very high pace and approaching a total of 45,000 units, with the Luxeed brand recording a real surge in sales, reaching 10,709 units. Rounding off the picture is Li Auto, which is bucking the trend and facing a few too many setbacks, recording a slight decline compared with the same period last year, with just over 30,000 vehicles sold.
