In August, new energy vehicle (NEV) makers like Leapmotor and XPeng posted outstanding delivery results, while Li Auto and IM Motors saw year-on-year delivery declines. Although BYD’s deliveries remained flat, its R&D investment in the first half of the year increased significantly. Meanwhile, all brands are gearing up for future market competition by launching new models, adjusting organizational structures and other initiatives.
As September arrives, the automotive industry enters the traditional “Golden September and Silver October” peak season, with a number of flagship models set to hit the market this month, such as the third-generation NIO ES8, ZEEKR 9X, AITO M7, and SAIC H5.
On the eve of major automakers gearing up for this crucial period, the performance of the traditionally slow month of August—and the trends it represents—are equally significant.
In the just-concluded August, some automakers like Leapmotor and XPeng continued their robust growth; others such as NIO achieved a long-awaited breakthrough; and still, some were trapped in temporary challenges.
Every time rankings and figures on sales lists change, people can’t help but marvel at the intensity and cruelty of China’s new energy vehicle (NEV) market.
So, among China’s NEV brands in August, which ones celebrated remarkable gains, and which faced temporary setbacks? Let’s take a closer look.
NIO
In August, NIO delivered 31,305 new vehicles, representing a 55.2% year-on-year (YoY) increase and a 49% month-on-month (MoM) rise—a record high.
Breaking down the data:
- NIO’s eponymous brand delivered 10,525 new vehicles in August.
- ONVO brand (a sub-brand of NIO) delivered 16,434 units, of which the ONVO L90 accounted for 10,575 units, and the ONVO L60 for 5,859 units. The latter made production capacity concessions to support the ramp-up of the former.
- Firefly (another NIO sub-brand) delivered 4,346 units.
Notably, as the current sales pillar of NIO Group, the mini-program QR code on NIO’s monthly delivery report poster has been switched from the NIO brand to the ONVO L90 configuration interface.
For NIO’s main brand, it announced last Friday that all its models would come standard with a 100kWh battery, a significant concession in terms of vehicle ownership costs. Meanwhile, the third-generation ES8 has a pre-sale price starting at RMB 416,800 ($ 60,114.29). With these moves, the NIO brand may be on the verge of a sales surge.
Can NIO maintain its monthly delivery of 30,000 units, or even move toward 40,000 or 50,000 units per month?
XPeng
XPeng delivered 37,709 new vehicles in August, with a 169% YoY growth and a 2.7% MoM increase.
Among the deliveries:
- The XPeng M03 continued to lead, with over 15,000 units delivered, bringing its total cumulative deliveries to more than 150,000 units.
- XPeng officially stated that deliveries of the XPeng G6 rose 11% MoM. According to data from 懂车帝 (Dongchedi, a Chinese auto information platform), the G6 sold approximately 3,949 units in July.
XPeng has maintained a fast-paced product rollout since the second half of 2024. On August 27, it launched the all-new XPeng P7 with a starting price of RMB 219,800($ 31,703.45). Within 7 minutes of its launch, the model received over 10,000 firm orders—setting a new record for XPeng’s fastest order breakthrough for a new vehicle.
In September, we will see the “real” VLA (Vertical Landing Assist) pushed via OTA, as mentioned by He Xiaopeng (founder of XPeng). VLM (Visual Language Model) will launch free hardware upgrades and software OTA in November.
XPeng’s product offensive is far from over: the G01 and the extended-range version of the XPeng X9 are still in the pipeline. He Xiaopeng also revealed that XPeng will launch a number of all-new models in 2026.
Li Auto
Li Auto delivered 28,529 new vehicles in August, marking a 40.7% YoY decline and a 7.2% MoM drop.
Li Auto stated that the sales fluctuations of its L-series since June were due to adjustments to its sales and service system as well as market factors.
In response, Li Auto optimized its sales system in August. After the optimization, the “headquarters directly manages 23 regions,” and two new departments—”Sales & Service Operations” and “Marketing”—were established. The store location selection team was reorganized, the training academy was strengthened, and the delivery team was enhanced.
With the completion of the new organizational structure, the sales momentum of the L-series is expected to gradually recover.
Regarding the new track it is exploring (pure electric vehicles), Li Xiang (founder of Li Auto) revealed the sales target for pure electric SUVs on Weibo today:
- The Li Auto i8 is expected to stabilize at 6,000 units/month.
- The Li Auto i6 is expected to stabilize at 9,000-10,000 units/month.
- Together with the Li Auto MEGA, the overall monthly delivery of Li Auto’s pure electric models is expected to stabilize at 18,000-20,000 units.
In other words, the minimum delivery target for the MEGA is 3,000 units/month—and the model already exceeded 3,000 units in August, initially meeting Li Xiang’s current sales target.
Leapmotor
Leapmotor delivered 57,066 new vehicles in August, achieving a YoY growth of over 88% and a 13.8% MoM increase.
It has become difficult to count how many times the phrase “new record high” has appeared in Leapmotor’s monthly delivery reports. Amid Leapmotor’s continuous delivery growth, most attention has turned to its new models.
At the Munich Motor Show, which opens on September 8, Leapmotor will showcase its “all-new personalized strategic model” Lafa5 (previously rumored to be named B05).
According to previous media reports, Leapmotor’s European factory has been confirmed to be located in Zaragoza, Spain. After renovation, the factory is expected to first produce the B10 in Q3 2026, followed by the Lafa5.
After achieving continuous monthly delivery growth and turning profitable in the first half of the year, can Leapmotor unlock second and third growth curves through its higher-positioned D-series and expansion into overseas markets?
Xiaomi Auto
Xiaomi Auto continued to deliver over 30,000 vehicles in August.
According to major portal websites, among Xiaomi’s over 30,000 deliveries in July, approximately 24,000 units were the Xiaomi SU7, while the YU7—during its first full delivery month—accounted for about 6,000 units.
With a large number of orders in hand, Xiaomi Auto made few new moves in August; production capacity is likely the most pressing issue it needs to address.
The Xiaomi YU7 is still in the production ramp-up phase. Judging from the official data on firm orders and monthly deliveries, production capacity constraints may continue to plague Xiaomi.
In September, as Xiaomi Auto’s Phase II factory (put into production in July) gradually ramps up, can Xiaomi Auto’s monthly delivery exceed the 40,000-unit mark?
HIMA
HIMA delivered 44,579 new vehicles in August, with a 32.3% YoY increase and a 6.7% MoM decrease.
The most striking figure in HIMA’s delivery report is its average transaction price. Although it still ranks first, its average price in August was RMB 380,000 ($ 54,810.33), down from RMB 390,000 in June.
Relying on the strong performance of models such as the AITO M8, M9, and LUXEED R7, Harmony Auto has achieved certain sales results. With upcoming models like the AITO M7, Stelato S9T, and SAIC H5 set to launch, it may reverse the consecutive MoM decline—but the average transaction price may drop further.
As models under brands like AITO, LUXEED, SAIC, and Stelato are enhanced, what level will HIMA’s end-of-year sales reach?
ZEEKR Technology Group
ZEEKR Technology Group sold 44,843 vehicles in August, with a 10.6% YoY growth and a 1.5% MoM increase.
This marks the 6th consecutive month that ZEEKR Technology Group has achieved monthly sales of over 40,000 units. Breaking down the data:
- The ZEEKR brand sold 17,626 units in August, a 2.2% YoY decrease and a 3.8% MoM increase.
- The Lynk & Co brand sold 27,217 units in August, a 20.8% YoY increase—but only 1 unit more than its July sales of 27,216 units.
ZEEKR Technology Group needs to find new sales growth drivers.
Currently, ZEEKR—tasked with moving upmarket—will use the ZEEKR 9X (with a pre-sale price starting at RMB 479,900) to elevate its brand positioning. Lynk & Co, which focuses on expanding market reach, will launch the Lynk & Co 10 EM-P (pre-sale price: RMB 192,000) alongside the Lynk & Co 900 to boost sales.
Now that ZEEKR Technology Group has returned to Geely Auto, how will it develop after adjustments and improvements in intelligent capabilities and organizational structure operations?
IM
IM Motors delivered 6,108 new vehicles in August, a slight decrease of 8 units compared to 6,117 units in the same period of 2024, and a 13% MoM decline.
After a relatively quiet first half of the year, IM Motors has recently released new technologies and products intensively.
On August 1, IM Motors launched the Stellar Super EREV (Extended-Range Electric Vehicle) Technology. Under this technology, EREV models with large batteries can be equipped with a 66kWh Super Xiaoyao Max battery, achieving a pure electric range of over 450km under CLTC conditions.
The all-new IM LS6, the first model to adopt this technology, received over 50,000 preliminary orders after pre-sales opened, showing a significant improvement in product competitiveness.
IM Motors’ sales have long been volatile. With the Stellar Super EREV Technology and the rumored LS9 (set to launch in Q4), IM Motors—shouldering SAIC Group’s mission to move upmarket in the NEV era—has once again been presented with an opportunity.
Voyah
Voyah delivered 13,505 new vehicles in August, with a 119% YoY growth and a 11.3% MoM increase.
At the end of August, Voyah launched the all-new Voyah Zhiyin with a starting price of RMB 202,900. This model’s core competitiveness lies in its “comprehensive configuration”—differences between versions are mainly in range performance (rear-wheel drive vs. all-wheel drive), while other configurations are largely consistent.
Meanwhile, the 2026 Voyah Dreamer opened for pre-sales at the Chengdu Motor Show, with a pre-sale price range of RMB 389,900-459,900($ 56,238.28 – 66,334.92). For reference, the 2025 model had a price range of RMB 329,900-429,900($ 47,584.02 – 62,007.80).
Following the success of the Voyah Dreamer, can Voyah find its next high-volume model?
BAIC BJEV
BAIC BJEV delivered 13,530 new vehicles in August, a 3.5% YoY increase and a 11% MoM rise. Among these, ARCFOX (a sub-brand of BAIC BJEV) delivered 10,554 units in August, with a 5.5% YoY growth and a 11.8% MoM increase.
In August, ARCFOX opened pre-sales for the ARCFOX T1, an A0-class pure electric SUV, with a starting price of RMB 68,800. The model will be officially launched on September 11, which may further enhance ARCFOX’s competitiveness.
On August 18, BAIC BJEV also opened pre-sales for a new model (specific model not specified in the original text) with a starting price of RMB 328,000($ 47,310.00). Within 1 hour of pre-sales opening, it received over 10,000 preliminary orders. The new vehicle will be launched on September 16.
Geely NEV
Geely NEV sold 147,347 new vehicles in August, a 95% YoY growth and a 13% MoM increase. This accounts for 59% of Geely Auto’s total sales of 250,167 units, a new high.
Among Geely NEV’s sales, Geely Galaxy delivered 110,666 units in August, achieving a 317.5% YoY growth and a 16.4% MoM increase.
Next, Geely Galaxy will launch models such as the Galaxy M9 and Xingyao 6 to deepen its competitive position and support Geely’s annual sales target of 3 million units. The Galaxy M9, in particular, has garnered high expectations due to its large size and pre-sale price starting at RMB 193,800($ 27,953.27).
With Geely Galaxy showing impressive growth momentum, will its annual sales eventually move toward the 3.5 million-unit mark?
BYD
BYD sold 373,626 new vehicles in August, compared to 373,083 units in the same period last year, with an 8.5% MoM increase.
Breaking down BYD’s sales:
- BYD Dynasty and Ocean series: 342,838 units.
- Fang Cheng Bao: 16,265 units.
- Denza: 11,993 units.
- Yangwang: 405 units.
Since the start of this year, BYD’s cumulative sales have reached 2,863,876 units—still a certain distance from its 2025 annual sales target of 5.5 million units.
Meanwhile, BYD released its H1 2025 financial report today. In the first half of this year, BYD achieved operating revenue of RMB 371.3 billion, a 23% YoY increase; its net profit attributable to shareholders was RMB 15.5 billion, a 14% YoY growth.
More notably, BYD invested RMB 30.9 billion in R&D in the first half of the year, a 53% YoY increase. However, its net profit in Q2 was RMB 6.4 billion, a 30% YoY decrease and a 31% MoM decline.
Some analysis institutions suggest that this may be part of BYD’s incremental improvement measures to prepare for its key strategies in 2026.
(End)
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