Thanks to the release of supportive national policies, many manufacturers have started to focus on this promising industry. The market for new energy vehicles has been growing rapidly, and by August this year, competition in the sector had already intensified. Let's take a closer look at the latest data from the Federation.
In August, China's new energy passenger car sales reached 53,000 units, marking a 73% increase compared to the same period last year. Even during what is typically considered an off-season, sales remained strong, showing the resilience of the new energy vehicle market. Among different models, the best-selling category was the A00-class pure electric cars, with a total of 24,000 units sold—accounting for 57% of all pure electric passenger car sales. This trend explains why BYD is also focusing its efforts on this segment.
When looking at specific models—regardless of whether they are purely electric or plug-in hybrids—the top three remain largely unchanged: the BAIC New Energy EC series, Zhidou D2, and BYD Song. However, while the BYD Song held the top spot in July, it dropped to third place in August.
The fourth position was taken by Geely Emgrand EV, which climbed from ninth place in July. This month’s rapid rise shows that Geely is making significant progress in the pure electric vehicle space. The gap between the Geely Emgrand EV and the third-place BYD Song is now only 80 units, indicating that Geely is gaining momentum.
Additionally, Geely's Global Eagle K17 made an appearance on the list, ranking ninth. Meanwhile, Roewe eRX5 maintained its tenth position from July.
Looking at the overall performance from January to August, cumulative sales of new energy passenger vehicles reached 254,100 units, a 41% increase compared to the previous year. The top three models—BAIC New Energy EC series, Zhidou D2, and BYD Song—still dominated the market, but the gap between the first and second places was substantial. The difference between the third-place BYD Song and the second-place Zhidou D2 was over 11,000 units.
BYD remains the biggest winner in terms of brand presence. Out of the top ten models, three belong to BYD, far outpacing BAIC New Energy, which holds the second position. Geely's Dorsett EV ranked fifth and performed well in the market.
Of the three BYD models listed, two are plug-in hybrid vehicles, highlighting the company’s strong position in that segment. In the pure electric field, BAIC New Energy and Zhidou have long held advantages, but Geely is quickly catching up.
For a long time, the new energy vehicle market offered limited choices, giving early entrants a natural edge. However, as more independent brands and joint ventures begin to launch large-scale products, the initial policy-driven advantages will gradually fade. Now, all players are on a level playing field, and the real competition lies in product strength and innovation.
Therefore, the challenge for current top-performing independent brands is not just to maintain their positions now, but to ensure they can continue to compete effectively once the new energy vehicle market reaches maturity. This will be the key issue they need to address moving forward.
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