In September, the sales of new force brands soared significantly. Li Xiang sold over 50,000 vehicles per month, setting a new record for new force brands; NIO and Leapmotor maintained monthly sales of 30,000 and 20,000 vehicles, respectively, continuing their stable output; Zeekr and Xpeng also joined the 20,000-club, maintaining a strong upward momentum; Xpeng is likely to exceed 20,000 sales in October, making new force brands a shining light in this year's golden September and silver October.

However, even more dazzling than the new force brands is BYD. In September, BYD sold 419,426 vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 45.6%. From January to September 2024, BYD sold a total of 2,736,401 passenger vehicles. At this rate, BYD will have no trouble reaching 3.6 million sales in the next three months and may even exceed 4 million. In March of this year, Wang Chuanfu set a sales target of "at least 20% growth" at BYD's 2023 Annual Investor Communication Meeting, which translates to 3.6 million sales.

So here comes the question: as BYD and the new force brands continue to thrive, a collision between the two is inevitable. Judging from the current situation, BYD is far ahead and need not worry about being impacted. However, in the long run, the new force brands are more aggressive in technology research and development and business strategies, with faster market feedback. It remains to be seen whether BYD's sales will be eroded or caught up with by the new force brands.

Every model is a bestseller

BYD achieved a record monthly sales of 410,000 vehicles, representing a year-on-year growth rate of 45.6%. Dynasty and Ocean networks remained the main sales drivers, with 401,572 vehicles sold in September, a year-on-year increase of 46.7%. Other brands saw 10,299 Tengshi, 5,422 Fangchengbao, and 310 Yangwang vehicles sold in September.

It is worth noting that BYD held a ceremony for the roll-out of its 9 millionth new energy vehicle in September. At this rate, BYD is expected to reach the milestone of 10 million roll-outs in the remaining three months.

Among them, the Qin family (Qin PLUS series, Qin L) contributed significantly. It sold 75,000 vehicles in September, with a cumulative sales of 475,000 units to date; the Song family, including Song PRO, Song L, and Song L DM-i, sold 46,000 vehicles in September, with an annual cumulative sales of 292,633 units;

Han sold 24,500 vehicles in September, with an annual cumulative sales of 163,777 units. In particular, after a price reduction of 7,000 yuan, it further captured market share from traditional B-segment vehicles;

The Tang family sold 12,552 vehicles in September, with cumulative sales exceeding 100,000 units in the first nine months, up 40% year-on-year; the Yuan family sold 45,618 vehicles in September, with an annual cumulative sales of 299,363 units;

Seagull sold 43,400 vehicles in September, with an annual cumulative sales of 311,667 units. Currently, Seagull offers a terminal discount of 3,000 yuan, a significant promotional effort; Dolphin sold 20,346 vehicles in September, with an annual cumulative sales of 133,138 units; Sealion EV, 07 DM-i, and 06 DM-i sold 58,285 vehicles in September, with an annual cumulative sales of 226,939 units. Among them, Sealion 06 DM-i sold over 40,000 vehicles in a single month; Sea Lion 07 and 05 DM-i sold 11,663 vehicles in September, with an annual cumulative sales of 36,043 units; Destroyer 05 sold 16,750 vehicles in September, with an annual cumulative sales of 195,828 units; Frigate 07 sold 447 vehicles in September, with an annual cumulative sales of 7,518 units;

Tengshi brand showed a strong upward trend. After the launch of Tengshi Z9 GT, the market response was overwhelming. It sold 1,172 vehicles in September, with an average transaction price exceeding 400,000 yuan. D9 sold 8,122 vehicles, with an annual cumulative sales of 79,464 units;

In terms of Fangchengbao, Leopard 5 sold 5,422 vehicles in September. After a price reduction of 50,000 yuan, the market response was excellent.

As a symbol of BYD's upward sprint, the Yangwang brand, due to its high price, does not enjoy the same sales boost as the aforementioned brands. U8 sold 294 vehicles in September, with an annual cumulative sales of 6,536 units, while Yangwang U9 sold 16 vehicles.

From the above, we can clearly perceive that BYD dominates the market below 200,000 yuan, with every model being a bestseller. As the global leader in new energy, BYD's performance is indeed outstanding. What everyone is most concerned about now is how high BYD can reach and when its monthly sales will exceed 500,000 - in October or November. Currently, it seems unlikely that BYD will struggle to reach 4 million sales by the end of the year; the question is how close it will get to 4.5 million.

New force brands catch up vigorously

In August and September, a large number of new models were launched by new force brands. For example, NIO's second brand, Ledo L60, was launched on September 19, Xpeng MONA M03 on August 27, and Baojun Yunhai on September 10. According to incomplete statistics, there were 23 pure electric vehicles, 11 plug-in hybrids, and 5 extended-range vehicles launched during this period in September.

Why did I single out these three models? Mainly because they are equipped with high-level intelligent driving systems and are priced below 150,000 yuan, which is BYD's stronghold.

Ledo L60 adopts a 900V high-voltage architecture, equipped with a self-developed 900V silicon carbide motor, with a power consumption of 12.1kWh per 100 kilometers; it is the first to carry the NT.Coconut Ledo intelligent system and fully apply the SkyOS whole-vehicle operating system, realizing intelligent driving, intelligent cabin, vehicle control, and vehicle networking functions.

In terms of intelligent hardware, L60 is equipped with a 4D imaging millimeter-wave radar with a maximum detection range of 370 meters; seven 8-megapixel high-definition cameras with a forward maximum detection range of 687 meters; and a standard NVIDIA Orin X chip with a computing power of 254 TOPS. Ledo's president said that this is an intelligent hardware architecture for the next decade, capable of providing a leading intelligent experience for three to five years and mainstream for eight to ten years.

Xpeng MONA M03's top-of-the-line 580 Ultra-Long Range Max version is equipped with the more powerful XNGP full-scenario intelligent assisted driving system, featuring two NVIDIA DRIVE Orin chips and capable of AI driving, highway NGP, city NGP, and other functions.

Baojun Yunhai is equipped with Lingmou Smart Driving 2.0 Max as standard, featuring two monocular cameras, seven regular cameras, and twelve ultrasonic radars for comprehensive environmental perception. Through BEV perception and in-vehicle navigation information, it achieves speed navigation without relying on high-precision maps, becoming the first product in the industry to mass-produce end-to-end models within the 150,000 yuan price range.

The key is that the prices of these three models are indeed attractive.

If Ledo L60 adopts the BaaS battery rental service, its price will drop to 149,900 yuan; Xpeng MONA M03 580 Ultra-Long Range Max is priced at 155,800 yuan; while Baojun Yunhai is priced between 109,800 and 133,800 yuan. Such prices are irresistible to many.

Judging from the product strength and pricing of these three products, they are targeting BYD's Dynasty and Ocean series. As mentioned earlier, these two series are BYD's absolute mainstays, with the Qin family priced between 79,800 and 168,800 yuan and the Song family between 112,800 and 235,800 yuan.

Currently, BYD's biggest trump card is its strong vertical integration capability in the supply chain, which enables it to control costs and ensure quality control. However, intelligent driving is not BYD's forte. Data shows that the penetration rate of NOA vehicles in cities will exceed 10% in 2024 and is expected to exceed 50% by 2026. This means that the popularization of high-level intelligent driving in mid-to-low-end models will become a possibility.

More than 80% of car-buying households in China have a budget of less than 200,000 yuan. In the past, intelligent driving systems were only available in models priced above 200,000 yuan, but now new force brands have brought them down to the 150,000 yuan level, making them more accessible to consumers.

Xpeng MONA M03 received 30,000 orders within 48 hours of its launch and sold over 10,000 vehicles in September; Ledo L60 received over 30,000 orders within 72 hours of its launch; and Baojun Yunhai received over 6,000 orders within 3 hours. Such achievements speak for themselves.

For late-entrant brands, competing with BYD by offering high-level intelligent driving systems has become a reality.

Ordinary People's Car Reviews

For BYD, it will not allow this situation to continue unchecked, and it is also vigorously promoting intelligence. Wang Chuanfu revealed that BYD will invest 100 billion yuan in the field of intelligence in the future. Yang Dongsheng, Dean of BYD's New Technology Research Institute, said that high-level intelligent driving systems will be installed in BYD's mid-to-low-end models within two years, "even in cars priced below 100,000 yuan."

If BYD and the new force brands were once at peace with each other, they are now in direct competition. The competition in the field of intelligent driving will become more intense.

For consumers, it doesn't matter who leads or lags. What matters most is getting more experience for less money.