- Geely’s Xingyuan surged to the top with 50,190 retail sales in October and global sales of 71,337 that month, marking rapid volume growth and a one‑million cumulative production milestone.
- BYD placed four models in the top 10, with Yuan UP at 28,514, Ti 7 at 23,663 (12,152 BEV, 11,511 PHEV), Sealion 05 at 18,314 (9,033 BEV, 9,281 PHEV).
- The shift favors small pure‑electric models over compact gasoline sedans, but risks include channel/export distortions, production scaling pressures and markedly weaker domestic retail demand for some incumbents.
New energy vehicles (NEVs) accounted for nine of the 10 best-selling passenger car models in China by retail volume in October, with only one gasoline-powered model making the list, according to data from Chinese automotive platform Yiche.
In September, two gasoline-powered models still featured in the top 10.
The latest ranking points to an accelerating shift away from internal combustion vehicles toward electrification in China’s passenger car market.
The Geely Xingyuan topped the ranking with retail sales of 50,190 units, replacing the Tesla Model Y, which led the list in September.
According to Geely, global sales of the Xingyuan reached 71,337 units in October, a record monthly high for the model.
Overseas sales of the vehicle, marketed as the EX2 in international markets, have also continued to grow.
On October 20, the one-millionth Xingyuan rolled off the production line, just two years after the model’s launch.
Geely said it had become the fastest-selling NEV model globally to reach one million units in cumulative sales.
Pure electric small cars also took the second through fourth positions.
The BYD Yuan UP recorded sales of 28,514 units, followed by the Leapmotor A10 with 27,247 units and the Wuling Hongguang MINI EV with 24,518 units.
The Changan Nevo Q05 and Bestune Pony ranked sixth and eighth, with sales of 20,022 and 17,887 units, respectively.
Pure electric small cars accounted for more than half of the models in the top 10.
Their gains are coming partly at the expense of traditional gasoline-powered compact sedans and small SUVs, including the Toyota Corolla Cross, Volkswagen Lavida and Nissan Sylphy.
BYD had the largest presence in the ranking, with four models in the top 10. In addition to the Yuan UP, the Fangchengbao Ti 7 ranked fifth with sales of 23,663 units.
Of that total, 12,152 were battery electric versions and 11,511 were plug-in hybrid electric versions.
The BYD Sealion 05 recorded sales of 18,314 units, including 9,033 battery electric vehicles and 9,281 plug-in hybrids. The BYD Dolphin ranked 10th with 17,160 units.
Among gasoline-powered vehicles, the Toyota RAV4 climbed from 10th place in September to ninth in October, with sales of 17,750 units. The Toyota Corolla Cross dropped out of the top 10.
Notably, the Tesla Model Y and Model 3, both regular fixtures in the ranking, were absent from the October list.
According to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA), Tesla China wholesaled 67,829 vehicles in October, including 59,012 exports.
Domestic retail sales totaled just 8,817 units, falling below the 10,000-unit mark.
The changes in the ranking reflect a widening divergence in the powertrain mix across China’s passenger car market.
CPCA data shows that nationwide retail sales of passenger vehicles reached 1.643 million units in October.
NEV passenger car retail sales totaled 1.109 million units, bringing the segment’s penetration rate to 67.5%, up 10.5 percentage points year on year.
Over the same period, retail sales of gasoline-powered vehicles fell 45% year on year.
Sales of conventional gasoline-only vehicles dropped 51%, while those of conventional hybrids increased 28%.
Although the overall passenger car market remained under pressure, NEVs continued to gain ground at the expense of gasoline-powered vehicles, particularly in the traditional compact-car and entry-level segments.
Demand once served largely by gasoline sedans is increasingly shifting toward battery electric models, which are becoming more price-competitive as charging infrastructure and access to charging continue to improve.
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