By Wang Han

Produced by Five Star Car Reviews

Following the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, leading automakers have unveiled their May sales figures. Notably, BYD sold over 382,000 vehicles, marking a 15.3% year-on-year growth, reinforcing its robust market position. Zeekr, Leapmotor, Hongmeng Zhixing, and Lixiang Auto each delivered over 40,000 units, showcasing impressive performance.

In the first five months of 2025, four automakers cumulatively sold more than one million units. Besides BYD, SAIC Motor Group, ranking second, sold approximately 366,000 vehicles in May, a 10.2% year-on-year increase. For the year-to-date period, SAIC Motor Group sold around 1.687 million vehicles, narrowing the gap with BYD to within 100,000 units.

Geely Auto sold approximately 1.173 million vehicles, and Chery Auto sold around 1.0265 million vehicles in the first five months, both successfully joining the exclusive 'Million Club'. Changan Auto, on the other hand, sold 1.1 million vehicles from January to May, including 932,400 independent brand vehicles and 683,600 independent passenger vehicles, all showing year-on-year growth.

The market landscape for new players in May remained similar to the previous month, with Leapmotor, Lixiang, and Hongmeng Zhixing surpassing the 40,000-unit mark; XPeng, Xiaomi, Deep Blue, and NIO occupying the 20,000-30,000-unit bracket; and AITO and Voyah maintaining stability at the 10,000-unit level for several consecutive months. Zeekr and Lynk & Co. combined their strengths to top the list.

Positioned as the 'Uniqlo of the automotive industry', Leapmotor retained its top spot for the third consecutive month with sales of 45,100 units. Despite its outstanding 2025 performance, Leapmotor founder Zhu Jiangming remained humble, stating, 'Even now, Leapmotor cannot be considered fully established.' He predicted that in the future, the number of surviving Chinese automotive brands will be at most twice that of smartphone brands.

Currently, there are about five mainstream Chinese smartphone brands. If Zhu Jiangming's prediction holds true, there will be ten Chinese automotive brands standing tall in the future. This aligns closely with the forecasts made by XPeng Motors CEO He Xiaopeng and Lixiang Auto CEO Li Xiang, making upcoming rankings highly anticipated.

In terms of individual brands, Lixiang Auto sold 40,800 units in May, a significant 20% month-on-month increase, ranking second among new players and forming an elite group with Leapmotor, both 'breaking the 40,000-unit barrier'. Hongmeng Zhixing also delivered over 40,000 units in May but cannot be classified as a single brand.

XPeng Motors sold 33,500 units in May, a slight 4.34% month-on-month decline but a substantial 230% year-on-year surge, placing it in the industry's top three. XPeng Motors has consistently sold over 30,000 units for seven straight months, emerging as the most stable player among new entrants.

Xiaomi Motors delivered over 28,000 units in May, with the Xiaomi SU7 series, launched over a year ago, continuing to digest accumulated orders. Preparations for the upcoming mass production of the Xiaomi YU7 are underway, with production capacity plans being expanded, and the delivery target for this year gradually raised from 300,000 to 400,000 units.

Given the current trajectory, it is only a matter of time and capacity for Xiaomi Motors to achieve monthly sales of 40,000 units, potentially marking the end of the era dominated by 'NIO, XPeng, and Lixiang'.

BYD sold over 380,000 units in May and has cumulatively sold over 1.76 million units this year. Recent promotional activities in various regions have received positive market feedback, suggesting that breaking the 4 million-unit mark again this year is well within BYD's reach.

Breaking down sales, Dynasty & Ocean sold 348,300 units in May, a 10.5% year-on-year increase; FANGCHENGBAO sold 12,600 units, a 418.2% year-on-year surge; DENZA sold 15,800 units, a 29.3% year-on-year growth; and look up at sold 139 units. Additionally, BYD exported 88,600 units, a 133.6% year-on-year increase.

The initial figures are encouraging. BYD's low- to mid-priced products are better suited to the 'one-price' competitive landscape due to cost-spreading benefits from high volumes. The continued sluggish performance of look up at also indicates that domestic brands have yet to find a breakthrough in the 'added value' aspect of the high-end segment.

The most notable figure is exports. BYD exported 88,600 units in May, nearly matching the figure of 'export leader' Chery. With BYD's deepening global layout, the export market for domestic brands may witness a new paradigm.

Unlike BYD, Geely Auto, which focuses on both fuel and new energy vehicles, can be seen as taking a broader path. Geely Auto sold 235,200 units in May, a year-on-year increase of about 46%. In the first five months, Geely Auto sold approximately 1.173 million units, a 49% year-on-year growth, solidifying its second-place position.

The Geely Yinhe brand experienced explosive growth in May, with monthly sales crossing the 100,000-unit threshold for the first time, reaching 101,800 units, a 273% year-on-year surge. From January to May, Yinhe's cumulative sales exceeded 458,000 units, a 239% year-on-year increase. Since its launch, Yinhe's cumulative sales have swiftly surpassed 1.03 million units, making it the brand with the shortest time to achieve one million sales in the new energy vehicle market.

In overseas markets, Geely exported 30,000 vehicles in May, a 24% month-on-month increase. The factory in Purwakarta, Indonesia, has completed trial production of the first Geely International EX5, which will officially enter mass production in the third quarter of 2025 with an annual production capacity of 20,000 units, providing crucial support for Geely's deeper penetration into the Southeast Asian market.

Chery Auto's strategy emphasizes overseas markets. In May, Chery sold approximately 205,700 units, a 9.1% year-on-year increase, with 100,700 units exported, accounting for nearly half of its total sales. The group also sold over 63,000 new energy vehicles in May, a 47.7% year-on-year growth.

In the first five months of this year, Chery Auto sold approximately 1.0265 million units, a 14% year-on-year increase, making it the fourth automaker to join the 'Million Club'.

For Chery, which adheres to a technology-driven approach rather than engaging in a price war, leveraging its extensive overseas market experience and influencing the global market while maintaining leadership in quality and engine technology is key. The only cautionary note is the rapid rise of BYD, to ensure that Chery's hard-earned 'Chinese reputation' does not become someone else's gain.