(The statistical scope includes only automakers that have consistently released sales data on the 1st of each month.)

In September 2026, the domestic NEV market kicked off its "Golden September" sales season with mixed performance across the sector. Subtle shifts occurred within the leading tier, with some new forces achieving high growth curves while others faced month-on-month decline pressures. Industry focus shifted from purely domestic sales competition to cross-enterprise capital-level collaborations, preparations for the Paris Motor Show, localized overseas factory launches, and technological iteration and global expansion becoming the core themes of the industry in September.

BYD Passenger Vehicles

In September, BYD sold 456,713 new energy passenger vehicles, up 5.4% month-on-month and 16.19% year-on-year. The cumulative sales for the year through September reached 3,078,544 units, down 4.4% year-on-year, maintaining its position as the top seller of domestic NEV passenger vehicles.

On the export front, BYD's European factory in Hungary entered the equipment commissioning phase, marking another key step in its overseas manufacturing layout (layout). Simultaneously, the company adjusted its product and channel strategies in response to new trade regulations in multiple countries to mitigate policy risks in overseas markets. In September, the Tengshi Z9S was officially launched, completing its luxury sedan lineup. Flash-charging configurations began to be rolled out to mainstream models under the Wangchao and Ocean Networks brands. Relying on a dual-product matrix of high-end and mass-market offerings, BYD is offsetting domestic market competition pressures and continuing to expand its global market share.

Geely New Energy

In September, Geely sold 190,868 new energy passenger vehicles, up 8.5% month-on-month and 15.5% year-on-year. The cumulative sales for the year through September reached 1,326,364 units, up 13.6% year-on-year.

A landmark industry event occurred in September as Geely Holding and NIO reached a capital-level strategic cooperation on battery swapping and charging. Both sides took equity stakes in each other's energy sectors, interconnected cross-brand charging and swapping networks, and promoted the sharing of industry recharging infrastructure. Overseas, Zeekr accelerated its layout (layout) in Austria and Poland, with store launches in multiple countries scheduled for the fourth quarter. The new Galaxy TT all-electric sedan was launched, bringing advanced intelligent driving features to 120,000-yuan-level family models, shifting focus beyond just high-end vehicles and further amplifying the technological competitiveness of its volume products.

Leapmotor

In September, Leapmotor delivered 105,656 units, up 2.5% month-on-month and 58.5% year-on-year. The cumulative deliveries for the year through September reached 666,539 units, up 68.5% year-on-year. Leapmotor has maintained deliveries exceeding 100,000 units for three consecutive months, setting a benchmark for growth among new forces.

The company achieved its phased (phased) overseas business goals, with cumulative overseas deliveries exceeding 150,000 units by September, completing its annual overseas expansion target ahead of schedule. Its assembly plant in Spain entered production line commissioning, and its European service network expanded to over 1,000 locations. The brand has finalized its lineup for the Paris Motor Show, featuring the new D19 and A05 models, officially showcasing its next-generation architecture strength to overseas markets. Internally, it is advancing planning for its second brand, leveraging the cost advantages of the LEAP3.5 architecture to cater to both domestic mass markets and overseas mass-market NEV segments.

XPeng Motors

In September, XPeng delivered 41,256 new vehicles, up 5.5% month-on-month but down 0.8% year-on-year. The cumulative deliveries for the year through September reached 284,367 units, down 9.2% year-on-year.

In September, XPeng officially launched its new flagship G9L in China, with the right-hand-drive version rolling off the production line simultaneously. It is set to make its global debut at the Paris Motor Show, initiating its European market expansion. In Southeast Asia, the MONA series began batch deliveries in Hong Kong, the Philippines, and Indonesia, while orders for the GX model in the Middle East surged. On the intelligence front, XPeng rolled out the XOS 6.3.0 major OTA update, officially launching the Master Agent vehicle intelligence system, enabling deeper integration between intelligent driving and cabin experiences, and advancing both technology and vehicle exports in parallel.

Xiaomi Automobile

In September, Xiaomi Automobile sold over 40,000 units, with its Pengcheng series exceeding 10,000 deliveries in its first month. The cumulative sales for the year through September exceeded 269,000 units, marking a new monthly delivery high since the brand's inception.

In September, the Pengcheng N70 and N90 began large-scale nationwide deliveries, with Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun attending offline delivery events, marking Xiaomi's official completion of its dual-track layout (layout) in battery electric and extended-range electric vehicles. At the supply chain level, Xiaomi Automobile announced deep binding cooperation with Sunwoda and CALB on its Dragon Scale batteries, simultaneously launching a battery first-owner peace of mind (peace-of-mind) protection plan to bolster user confidence in power batteries. The global timeline was further clarified, with plans to enter the European market in 2027 and comprehensive overseas model calibration and channel research underway.

Harmony Intelligent Mobility (HIM)

In September, HIM delivered 37,490 new vehicles, down 11.0% month-on-month. Cumulative deliveries across all models surpassed 1.56 million units, with the AITO brand surpassing 1.2 million users. Huawei and Seres renewed their five-year deep cooperation agreement, locking in the long-term development path for AITO.

On the product front, the new AITO M8 began pre-sales in late September, while the Qiankun ADS 5 SE intelligent driving system received a version update, continuing to advance commercial pilots for L3 autonomous driving in China. The complete product matrix of AITO, Luxeed, and Enjoyland continued to iterate. Overseas, HIM maintained real-vehicle road testing in multiple regions without rushing for rapid market rollout, prioritizing localized adaptation of intelligent systems to lay a solid technical foundation for future overseas launches.

NIO Inc.

In September, NIO delivered 37,408 units, up 4.4% month-on-month and 7.7% year-on-year. The cumulative deliveries for the year through September reached 300,301 units, up 49.2% year-on-year. Sales were contributed by NIO's three brand matrices—ONVO, Firefly, and NIO—with the multi-brand gradient effect gradually taking shape.

On September 28, NIO and Geely reached a major battery swapping and charging capital cooperation, with both sides taking cross-shareholdings in energy enterprises and mutually opening up battery swapping station resources. The industry shifted from independent network construction to shared infrastructure, reshaping the domestic battery swapping landscape. Overseas, NIO continued to deepen its presence in Europe, optimizing local user service systems. Technologically, the NWM world model underwent continuous OTA iteration. Against the backdrop of multiple brands operating in parallel, opening up battery swapping became NIO's core lever for driving incremental growth.

Hycan Aion BU

In September, Hycan Aion BU sold 35,494 units, down 2.4% month-on-month but up 21.9% year-on-year.

In September, GAC Motor confirmed its market entry plan for Japan, leveraging a local agent model to enter the Japanese passenger vehicle market, initially targeting corporate fleets and the leasing market to avoid the heavy asset pressure of a direct sales model. Production capacity at its overseas factories in Thailand and Indonesia continued to ramp up, while dealer partnerships in multiple European countries were solidified. Domestically, the Golden September sales season saw dual-brand linkage (coordinated) marketing between Hycan and Aion, with Hycan focusing on the high-end intelligent driving market and Aion targeting the mainstream family segment. The 800V high-voltage platform was gradually rolled out to more entry-level models, using high-voltage technology as a competitive edge in both domestic and overseas markets.

Li Auto

In September, Li Auto delivered 31,817 new vehicles, down 15.6% month-on-month and 6.3% year-on-year. The cumulative deliveries for the year through September reached 293,436 units, down 1.2% year-on-year.

The company achieved substantive overseas breakthroughs, with the new L9 officially launching in Dubai, UAE, in early September, opening the door to the Middle East market. It also announced its participation in the Paris Motor Show, where the i6 model will make its European debut, while the KD assembly project in Kazakhstan progressed steadily with equipment commissioning. On the product front, the new MEGA and all-electric i9 were launched, reducing reliance on the L6 as the sole blockbuster model. The VLA2.0 intelligent driving model completed OTA rollout, continuously refining the intelligent driving experience for all-electric models and accelerating the transition from a domestic extended-range leader to a global multi-powertrain automaker.

Shenlan Automobile

In September, Shenlan Automobile sold 30,185 units globally, up 5.3% month-on-month but down 10.2% year-on-year. The cumulative global sales for the year through September reached 252,213 units, up 8.6% year-on-year.

As Changan Automobile's core vehicle for overseas expansion, Shenlan completed calibration work for multiple right-hand-drive models in September, accelerating its layout (layout) in Southeast Asia and Australia, with large-scale shipments of the S05 and S07 to Eurasian countries. Overseas markets have become a key segment for Shenlan to hedge against domestic market fluctuations. Domestically, it stabilized its position in the 150,000-yuan-level super extended-range segment while refining its all-electric offerings, adapting to different national energy conditions through both extended-range and all-electric technology routes.

VOYAH Automobile

In September, VOYAH delivered 13,025 units, up 0.2% month-on-month but down 14.4% year-on-year. The cumulative deliveries for the year through September reached 115,481 units, up 19.1% year-on-year.

Overseas, VOYAH expanded beyond Saudi Arabia, finalizing plans to launch the Dream 9 in Malaysia, further broadening its Southeast Asian footprint. It completed whole-vehicle reliability calibration for high-temperature and dusty environments in the Middle East and Southeast Asia. Domestically, the Zhuiguang S maintained stable deliveries, while the VOYAH Dreamer 9 opened pre-sales, expanding its high-end MPV offerings. Leveraging Dongfeng Motor Corporation's global supply chain resources, VOYAH simultaneously advanced domestic product iteration and overseas dealer network construction, catering to both the Middle East and Southeast Asia, two emerging markets.