The battle drums for the second half of the year are sounding as China’s NEV market continues to undergo a shake-up.
In the first half of 2025, under the dual pressure of a price war and consumption upgrades, China’s new energy vehicle (NEV) market experienced another reshuffling. The segment of all-electric SUVs priced above RMB 200,000 ($28,000) has become the main battleground among major automakers.
According to the “Top 20 NEV Models Over RMB 200,000 ($28,000) By Sales” list released by Yiche (data from January to June 2025), Tesla’s Model Y topped the chart with a cumulative sales volume of 171,729 units, maintaining an overwhelming lead.
Interestingly, in the subsegment of all-electric vehicles priced over RMB 200,000 ($28,000), the Model Y’s advantage can be described as a “cliff-like” lead. In response, several automakers have issued a “challenge” to Tesla by launching multiple directly competing models in an effort to carve out competitive edges across various dimensions and gradually erode Model Y’s market share.
Focusing on the all-electric SUV market above RMB 200,000 ($28,000), based on this list, the ONVO L60, Zeekr 7X, LUXEED R7, and AITO M7 are all contenders in the “Encirclement Battle” against the Model Y.
In terms of data, the ONVO L60 stood out with cumulative sales of 31,862 units. It is worth noting that as a volume driver under NIO, the L60’s breakout journey hasn’t been smooth.
According to official data, its sales in February 2025 were only 4,049 units, down 31.51% month-over-month; after a slight rebound to 4,820 units in March, April saw another decline to 4,400 units—nearly a 60% drop compared to its peak of 10,528 units in December 2024. In May and June, sales slowly recovered to 6,281 and 6,400 units, respectively, showing signs of regaining momentum. However, breaking through against a strong rival like the Model Y remains a formidable challenge.
Looking back at the ranking, Xiaomi SU7 maintained strong momentum and achieved another breakthrough, ranking second with cumulative sales of 145,499 units. In third place was the Li Auto L6 with 97,531 units. Additionally, the entire range of Li Auto’s extended-range models—the L7, L8, and L9—made the list.
Beyond Li Auto, four models under the Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance (HIMA) also entered the rankings: AITO’s M9, M8, and M7, along with LUXEED’s R7. All four models made it into the top ten, with AITO’s M9 leading the group with 61,545 units sold.
From NIO Group, in addition to the ONVO L60, the NIO ES6 and ET5T also made the list.
As Xiaomi ramps up production capacity, the AITO M8 surpasses 60,000 orders, and ONVO L90 and Li Auto i8 aim straight for the Tesla Model Y L even before launch—the battle lines for the second half of the year have clearly been drawn.
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