Plug-in electric car sales in China surged to another new record in September, which allowed the country to strengthen as the world's largest EV market.
According to EV Volumes' data, shared by researcher Jose Pontes, 776,711 new passenger plug-in electric cars were registered in China in September (up about 22 percent year-over-year).
The market share of rechargeable cars in China amounted to 37 percent, including 25 percent for all-electric cars. The report also indicates that more than 60 percent of all plug-in electric cars sold in September were sold in China.
One of the most spectacular things is that all-electric car sales in China now noticeably exceed 500,000 a month. Of course, some of the vehicles are micro-cars but that's still impressive.
Plug-in car registrations for the month (YOY change):
- BEVs: about *525,000 and 25% market share
- PHEVs: about *252,000 and 12% market share
- Total: 776,711 (up 22%) and 37% market share
* estimated from the market share
Plug-in electric car sales in China – September 2023
So far this year, more than 5.4 million new plug-in electric cars have been registered in China (up roughly 34 percent year-over-year), which is about 36 percent of the total volume.
Plug-in car registrations year-to-date (YOY change):
- BEVs: about *3.6 million and 24% market share
- PHEVs: about *1.7 million and 12% market share
- Total: 5,444,538 (up 34%) and 36% market share
* estimated from the market share
For reference, in 2022, over 5.92 million new passenger plug-in electric cars were registered in China (30 percent of the total volume).
This year most likely will result in more than 7 million new plug-in car registrations.
Model rank
In September, just like in August, the first four out of the top five best-selling car nameplates were rechargeable cars.
BYD has an absolutely dominant position in China right now, with six nameplates among the top ten best-selling plug-in electric cars, including the BYD Song family (62,840) and BYD Qin family (43,002). However, the Tesla Model Y still remains the best-selling all-electric model (41,428).
Top 10 plug-ins for the month:
- BYD Song Plus: 62,840 (10,072 BEVs + 52,769 PHEVs)
- BYD Qin Plus: 43,002 (11,837 BEVs + 31,165 PHEVs)
- Tesla Model Y: 41,428
- BYD Seagull: 35,011
- BYD Yuan Plus (aka Atto 3): 28,727
- GAC Aion Y: 26,969
- BYD Dolphin: 24,282
- BYD Han: 22,794 (10,412 BEVs + 12,382 PHEVs)
- GAC Aion S: 21,546
- Wuling Bingo: 19,606
One of the most interesting things is probably how the BYD Seagull is gradually advancing and most recently joined the top 10. There is a chance that this entry-level car will become the best-selling all-electric model in China at some point in the future.
Top 10 plug-ins in January-September:
- BYD Song Plus: 428,236 (57,022 BEVs + 371,214 PHEVs)
- BYD Qin Plus: 332,180 (89,742 BEVs + 232,438 PHEVs)
- Tesla Model Y: 320,109
- BYD Dolphin: 244,387
- BYD Yuan Plus (aka Atto 3): 242,201
- GAC Aion S: 182,230
- Wuling Hong Guang MINI EV: 169,526
- BYD Han: 164,150 (79,907 BEVs + 84,234 PHEVs)
- GAC Aion Y: 163,552
- BYD Seagull: 130,213
* BEV and PHEV versions of the same models were counted together in the source.
Brands
BYD is the most popular brand and automotive group in China, and this is not expected to change anytime soon.
Top brands by share in the plug-in segment in January-September:
- BYD: 35.0%
- Tesla: 8.1%
- GAC Aion: 6.6%
- SAIC-GM-Wuling: 5.4%
- Li Auto: 4.5%
- Changan: 4.2%
Top automotive groups by share in the plug-in segment in January-September:
- BYD: 36.7%
including Denza brand - Tesla: 8.1%
- SAIC: 7.1%
including the SAIC-GM-Wuling joint venture (between SAIC, GM, and Liuzhou Wuling Motors) - GAC: 7.1%
- Geely-Volvo: 5.9%
