From the 'Superstar Era' to the 'Popularity Era'

Over the past decade or so, the automotive landscape has witnessed a notable absence of another 'miracle car' that garners widespread acclaim from the industry, market, and consumers alike. Instead, a series of short-lived 'blockbusters' have emerged.

Contrary to the enduring charm of iconic models from the fuel-powered vehicle era, the relentless march of the new energy vehicle era has accelerated the pace of model updates and transformed consumer aesthetics at a breakneck speed. This has led to a constant reshuffling of 'blockbuster' models in the market.

Publicly available data reveals that in November 2025, among models with total sales surpassing 3,000 units, over a hundred experienced a sales decline, with nearly 20 witnessing a drop exceeding 3,000 units. Several 'blockbuster' models from the past two years were part of this downturn.

The Jetour Traveler, a boxy SUV that swiftly reached 200,000 domestic sales units, sold 4,668 units in November 2025, marking a 56.3% year-on-year decline and an 18.47% month-on-month drop. The Changan Lumin, a compact car priced below 100,000 yuan, saw a 43.7% month-on-month sales decrease. The XPENG P7 recorded a 49.1% month-on-month sales slump. The Lynk & Co 900 experienced a 38.6% month-on-month decline. Multiple models, including the Leapmotor L90, Leapmotor C16, Leapmotor C11, Shenlan S07, and Galaxy Star 8 PHEV, all saw sales drops exceeding 3,000 units compared to October.

However, automakers or brands experiencing significant month-on-month sales declines for these models did not see their overall November sales suffer due to the impact of these 'blockbusters'. For instance, Changan Automobile sold 284,200 units in the month, a 2.49% year-on-year increase. XPENG sold 36,728 units in November, a 19% year-on-year rise. Geely Galaxy achieved a record-breaking single-month sales volume of 132,700 units, a 76% year-on-year increase.

This suggests that the impact of sluggish 'blockbuster' sales on automotive brands is relatively limited. In fact, the sales of many 'blockbusters' are being diverted to other models within the same brand, leading to a phenomenon where hot models experience a sharp sales drop while the brand's overall sales surge. Unlike the fuel-powered vehicle era, where one or two mainstay models could prop up half of the brand's sales over an extended period through mere facelifts and upgrades, the 'blockbusters' crafted by automakers today are mostly products of a specific stage.

While this strategy helps automakers mitigate the risk of a prolonged slump after the decline of classic models, it also intensifies competition in the automotive market, including continuous 'internal friction' among models within the same brand.

Fluctuating Sales Trends

Amidst the wave of automotive electrification, the development and launch time for new cars have been significantly condensed. New 'blockbuster' models can no longer attain classic status, whether in terms of their rise to prominence or their longevity on the sales charts. Under the relentless impact of wave after wave of new products, 'blockbuster' models struggle to forge brand effects and product resilience in a short span, let alone cultivate customer loyalty. Consequently, sudden falls from grace are not uncommon.

Data from Dongchedi's sales rankings indicates that in November, the Changan Lumin sold 11,744 units, a decrease of 8,776 units from the previous month, with its sales ranking plummeting from 12th place last month to 53rd place. The Leapmotor C11 sold 7,197 units, a decrease of 3,978 units from the previous month. The Xiaomi SU7 sold 12,520 units, a decrease of 2,472 units from the previous month, marking its fourth consecutive month of declining sales.

The Galaxy Star 8 PHEV sold 6,733 units, a decrease of 3,458 units from the previous month, breaking its streak of consecutive months with sales exceeding 10,000 units and dropping out of the top 100 in sales. The Leapmotor C16 sold 6,088 units, a decrease of 3,799 units from the previous month, reversing its upward trend after months of inching towards the 10,000-unit mark.

The Leapmotor L90 sold 5,970 units, its first drop below the 10,000-unit mark in three months since its launch, dampening NIO's hopes for a swift turnaround. During the Guangzhou Auto Show in November, NIO's Chairman and CEO, William Li, still expressed confidence in this model: 'In October, the insurance volume of pure electric large three-row SUVs far exceeded that of extended-range models. The golden age of pure electric large three-row SUVs has arrived.'

Additionally, in November 2025, the Shenlan S07 saw its sales drop from 8,761 units to 3,819 units, with its ranking plummeting by 90 places. The XPENG P7's monthly sales dropped from 5,662 units to 2,882 units. The Lynk & Co 900's sales dropped from 7,048 units to 4,330 units. The Changan Qiyuan A07's sales dropped from 5,404 units to 2,534 units. The Li Auto MEGA's monthly sales dropped from 1,903 units to 680 units...

According to sales data from the Passenger Car Market Information Branch of the China Automobile Dealers Association, in November 2025, the retail sales volume of the domestic narrowly defined passenger car market was 2.225 million units, an 8.1% year-on-year decrease and a 1.1% month-on-month decrease. From January to November, the cumulative sales volume was 21.483 million units, a 6.1% year-on-year increase. Among automakers experiencing significant declines in 'blockbuster' model sales, some also saw their overall sales suffer, while others achieved new overall sales records.

Leapmotor delivered 70,327 new vehicles across its entire lineup in November, a more than 75% year-on-year increase and a 0.05% month-on-month increase, setting a new record and maintaining its position as the sales champion among new forces. Xiaomi Automobile delivered 46,249 vehicles, exceeding 40,000 units for the third consecutive month. Geely Automobile sold 268,000 vehicles, a 23.5% year-on-year increase and a 1.0% month-on-month increase. Tesla delivered 73,145 vehicles, a slight 0.5% year-on-year decrease but a significant 181.3% month-on-month increase. Despite month-on-month declines exceeding 10%, both NIO and XPENG achieved year-on-year growth.

In the view of Cui Dongshu, Secretary-General of the Passenger Car Joint Conference, this year's subsidy policies spurred high retail growth in the first half of the year, while wholesale growth lagged. From July to November, retail growth weakened, but manufacturers' sales remained robust. In November, the national automobile market experienced sharp differentiation, with significant variations in growth rates among provinces and regions, as well as among manufacturers.

The Challenge of Creating Classics

In fact, one of the core reasons for the fluctuating sales is that 'blockbuster' models in today's automotive market are increasingly resembling fast-moving consumer goods, struggling to leave a lasting impression on consumers and unable to replicate the phenomenon of a single model dominating the global market for decades.

Moreover, those classic models have gradually been phased out by the times, becoming cherished memories and sentiments for a generation.

Models like the Santana, which bears the imprint of old Shanghai, the Xiaoli, a beloved national compact car, the Mazda 6, once the 'king of corners' and a top choice for the 'post-80s' generation, the Pajero, a 'dream car' for middle-aged men, and the Beetle, a global bestseller for many years, have either exited the market or undergone drastic redesigns. However, the impression these models left on consumers far surpasses that of today's 'blockbusters'.

Why, despite automakers' increasing focus on user experience and communication, and their efforts to tell countless new stories, are they still unable to sustain the glory of 'blockbusters'?

The once-sensational Ora initially targeted female consumers with its cute and exquisite design, quickly becoming a 'dark horse' in the new energy vehicle market and even once ranking among the top three in sales, second only to the Tesla Model 3 and Wuling Hongguang MINI EV. However, its reputation quickly crumbled due to product quality and service issues, and it has now been relegated to the fringes of the mainstream market.

The Trumpchi Emzoom, marketed as '6-second sprint to 100 km/h' and the 'domestic AMG', quickly rose to fame through topical marketing and social media hype, with monthly sales exceeding 10,000 units. However, it gradually faded into obscurity amid a spate of product quality issues, with the underlying contradiction between hype and product strength leading to an increasingly rapid backlash.

In the past two years, automakers have gradually learned from past mistakes, and with continuous technological advancements, hidden dangers and issues in product design have gradually ceased to emerge en masse. However, after 'software defines the automobile', the rapid iteration of products and technologies has continuously highlighted the advantages of latecomers, shortening the duration of 'blockbuster' popularity.

Taking Leapmotor as an example, the sales of its mainstay models, the Leapmotor C11 and Leapmotor C16, both saw month-on-month declines of nearly 4,000 units in November. However, its new products, the Lafa5 and B10, showed significant growth. The Lafa5, launched on November 27th, delivered 7,397 units in the same month, while the B10 sold 9,004 units, a month-on-month increase of approximately 16.9%. The B01 has also seen sustained monthly sales growth since its launch in July, selling 12,301 units in November, roughly on par with October. Currently, the Leapmotor C10 is the brand's top-selling model, with 15,390 units sold in November, a 69.8% year-on-year increase.

It is evident that with the accelerating pace of market changes, automakers can achieve internal growth and decline through continuous product renewal and replacement, without affecting overall sales, despite being unable to create classic models. Especially for a young new force brand, a single 'blockbuster' is far from sufficient. To remain competitive in the market, it must continuously create 'blockbusters' and establish a product mechanism akin to a 'blockbuster' assembly line.

The automotive market is also gradually transitioning from the 'Superstar Era' to the 'Popularity Era', with 'miracle cars' becoming relics of the past.

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