The January electric vehicle sales rankings have been finalized, revealing a month-on-month decline for many automakers. Amidst these sluggish sales, automakers have significantly scaled back their sales promotions, shifting their focus to touting order volumes instead. Notably, even the US electric vehicle company has followed suit, emphasizing orders over sales.

This US electric vehicle company garnered substantial media attention in January, claiming that orders for one of its new models surpassed 80,000 within just 24 days. Expectations were high for it to set a new sales record in January. However, upon the release of January data, its sales in the Chinese market also fell month-on-month.

January data indicates that this US electric vehicle company sold only 63,000 vehicles in China, marking a nearly one-third decrease from the 93,000 sold in December 2024. Evidently, its new model failed to bolster sales in January, which continued to decline along with the overall market trend.

In fact, January 2025 saw numerous new energy vehicle companies experience significant sales declines. A prominent domestic electric vehicle company witnessed a 40% drop compared to last year's peak, while the sales of the leading new vehicle manufacturer also fell by nearly 40% from its previous high. These developments suggest that the electric vehicle industry has entered an adjustment phase following more than a year of rapid growth.

Confronted with declining sales in the Chinese market, the US automaker swiftly introduced additional incentives, including insurance subsidies and five-year zero-interest loans for two popular models. These measures aim to boost sales in the Chinese market through affordable pricing, highlighting the company's concern amidst the sales downturn.

The US electric vehicle company's panic is understandable. Earlier data from France revealed that the company's electric vehicle sales plummeted by over 60%. Given this scenario, securing sales in the Chinese market has become even more crucial.

Data from 2024 shows that this US electric vehicle company sold over 600,000 vehicles in China, accounting for more than one-third of its global sales. The sales contribution from the Chinese market ranks second only to the US market. Consequently, the company is compelled to make concerted efforts to maintain its sales in China.

The Chinese market has been pivotal in propelling the company to new heights. In 2018, the company addressed its production capacity issues in the US, but sales remained stagnant. In 2019, its factory in Shanghai, China, commenced mass production, immediately doubling its sales. Furthermore, the low-cost advantage of Chinese manufacturing facilitated the company's entry into the Japanese and European markets. This underscores the significance of the Chinese market to the company.

The Chinese market has consistently been the world's largest electric vehicle market. In 2023, China accounted for 60% of global electric vehicle sales. Securing a position in the Chinese electric vehicle market translates to a strong foothold in the global electric vehicle market.

However, after experiencing rapid growth in 2023 and 2024, the Chinese electric vehicle market has entered an adjustment phase. In 2024, electric vehicles peaked at nearly 60% of the Chinese new vehicle market but dropped to 42% by the end of the year. In January 2025, weekly sales even dipped below 40%, leading to sales declines for numerous electric vehicle companies.

Consumer attitudes towards electric vehicles have shifted, possibly due to poor winter performance or a general change in sentiment. Recently, some electric vehicle companies have attempted to initiate a new price war in hopes of reviving the industry. Whether this strategy will prove effective remains to be seen. Under these circumstances, it is logical for these companies to emphasize orders over sales.