Electric Vehicles Shake Up China’s Auto Market: 5 Key Takeaways

China’s electric vehicles are delivering the biggest shift in the auto market this year.

Surge of Electric Mobility

■Geely’s Xingyuan electric hatchback sold 197.5k units, topping the market.

■The company is closing in on BYD as the second‑largest seller in 2025.

■Geely continues to offer both gasoline and electric models under its premium Zeekr brand.

■Geely Model Y sold 180k units, ranking second among electric SUVs.

■Tesla priced between 263.5k–313.5k yuan topped sales of Li Auto’s i6 SUV and Xiaomi’s SU7 sedan.

■BYD’s Yuan UP SUV sold 97.7k units, placing fifth.

■The same firm’s Ti 7 (off‑road) and Sealion 06 SUVs followed in sixth and seventh.

■New energy vehicles accounted for 65.1% of new passenger car sales, up from 54% a year ago.

■Overall vehicle sales fell 20.3%, while new‑energy sales dropped 12.5%.

■German automaker Volkswagen’s Lavida slipped into ninth place as a gasoline model.

■The market’s overall performance saw a decline of more than 10% in the first half of 2025.

Markets view this shift as shaped by price competition and evolving consumer preferences among electric‑vehicle makers.