Rising sales for BEVs and PHEVs built in China

China’s electric car manufacturers recorded rising sales figures for electric cars and plug-in hybrids in August. BYD surpassed the 60,000 new electric vehicle (NEV) sales mark for the first time. By comparison, Tesla sold 44,264 of its vehicles manufactured in China last month.

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According to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA), the sales volume of locally manufactured NEVs in China climbed to 304,000 vehicles in August. A 23.7 per cent increase from the previous month. Cumulative sales of China-made BEVs and PHEVs in the first eight months now stand at 1.643 million vehicles, according to the association.

BYD sold 61,409 NEV units in August – specifically 60,508 passenger cars and 901 commercial vehicles. This represents an increase of 301 per cent year-on-year and around 21 per cent month-on-month. Within the NEV segment, sales of all-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids increased by 222.73 and 555.63 per cent, respectively, compared to the previous year. Part-time electric vehicles in particular have thus become more popular.

In terms of individual models, BYD’s flagship Han came in at 9,035 units sold last month, representing cumulative sales of over 110,000 units since its launch. BYD sold 13,043 units of the Qin PLUS DM-i, and the entire Qin family sold 22,348 new vehicles in August. Furthermore, 6,240, 17,691 and 4,782 Tang, Song and Yuan series vehicles were sold last month.

According to the China Passenger Car Association, BYD sold most of its vehicles in China itself. Only 781 electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids were exported to foreign markets, it says. This detail is particularly interesting in view of Tesla’s export rate.

According to CPCA figures, the Californian electric carmaker sold 44,264 BEV vehicles manufactured at its China plant in Shanghai in August. A third more than in the previous month. Tesla exported 31,379 of the cars (to Europe, among other locations), while domestic sales amounted to 12,885 vehicles. This is said to be 49.5 per cent higher than the previous month’s figure.

Also based on CPCA statistics are the following sales figures: SAIC GM Wuling sold 43,783 NEV vehicles in August, SAIC Motor PV sold 16,998 units (including 4,074 overseas) and GAC Aion sold a total of 11,613 units. The two Volkswagen joint ventures (with SAIC and FAW) together sold 11,756 NEV vehicles, according to the statistics.

Electric car startup Xpeng gives its own figures for its August sales: according to the report, the company delivered 7,214 vehicles, an increase of 172 per cent compared to August 2020. Year-to-date sales now accumulate to 45,992 vehicles, an increase of 334 per cent compared to the same period last year.

Among the passenger cars delivered in August were 6,165 P7 sedans and 1,049 units of the G3 compact SUV. The company plans to start deliveries of its G3 facelift, called G3i, this month. In addition, Xpeng’s third production car, the P5 family sedan, is to be officially launched on 15 September. First deliveries are scheduled for October.

Another China start-up, Nio, publishes its August figures and reports 5,880 BEV vehicles delivered, an increase of 48.3 per cent compared to the same month last year. Sales were distributed among the manufacturer’s three models as follows: 1,738 ES8s, 2,342 ES6s and 1,800 EC6s. Cumulative deliveries since the trio’s market launch now reach 131,408 vehicles.

While the company says order intake reached an all-time high in August, “vehicle production, particularly manufacturing of the ES6 and EC6, was significantly disrupted by supply chain constraints due to the Covid 19 pandemic in certain areas in China and Malaysia”, according to Nio. The startup is therefore revising its sales forecast for the third quarter to between 22,500 and 23,500 vehicles. Previously, Nio assumed 23,000 to 25,000 vehicles.

Update 10 September 2021

Meanwhile, the figures for the entire Chinese market are also known. According to data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), around 321,000 new energy vehicles (BEV, PHEV and FCEV) were sold in China in August, more than twice as many as in the same month last year. This is all the more remarkable as total vehicle sales in the world’s largest market fell by 17.8 per cent to 1.8 million units in August due to the semiconductor crisis.

Update 24 September 2021

VW sold exactly 7,023 electric cars of the ID family in China in August, more than in July (5,810) and June (3,415). Meanwhile, 32,817 units of the best-selling electric model in China, the Wuling Hongguang Mini EV from the joint venture between SAIC and General Motors, were sold in August.

gasgoo.com (Tesla), nio.com, xiaopeng.com, gasgoo.com (BYD), reuters.com (update), cnevpost.com (update II, VW), gasgoo.com (update II, Wuling)