In September 2026, the Chinese automotive market saw a significant shift as pure internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle sales plummeted by 49% year-over-year. This decline contributed to a 28% drop in the overall market, which totaled approximately 1.6 million units.
Conversely, plug-in vehicles reached a record 67% market share, comprising 45% battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and 22% plug-in hybrids. This performance pushed the cumulative 2026 EV market share to 58%, with BEVs accounting for 39% of total sales.
Tesla's Model Y led monthly sales with 50,359 deliveries, despite a 2% year-over-year decline. Other notable performers included the Geely Xingyuan with 44,275 registrations and the BYD Song, which saw a 25% increase to 30,603 units.
The startup Leapmotor demonstrated strong growth, with sales rising 31% year-over-year to 78,000 registrations. The company now holds a 6.5% market share, positioning it to potentially challenge established manufacturers like Geely for the second spot in the brand rankings.
BYD maintains its market leadership with a 21.8% share of the automotive group market. Meanwhile, the overall industry trend shows a clear divergence: foreign legacy OEMs continue to dominate the shrinking ICE sector, while local brands maintain a strong hold on the growing EV market.
