The Chinese EV market was slightly down in the third week of May, with several exceptions. Nio was down 9%, Xpeng was down 2%, BYD was down 3%, and Tesla was down 1% compared to the week before.
Main events to watch:
- BYDβs Fang Cheng Bao topped Denza sales for the first time
- Nioβs Firefly was up 36%, the third consecutive week of growth since its deliveries started. Onvo was down 1.3% from last week. Nio Group together sold 6,530 cars, down 1.8% from last week
- Nio brand sales fell about 30% YoY
- Xpeng grew 200% YoY, showing how the partnership with VW and the new entry-level Mona M03 sedan paid off
- Good to pay attention to Deepal, which quietly manages to grow about 100% each week on average since the Chinese New Year
The weekly sales were published by Li Auto. However, Li Auto ceased publishing them in March 2025 after the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) βrecommendedβ that Li Auto, media and any third parties end it. CAAM says weekly data βundermines the industry orderβ and βfuels vicious competition.β Since then, Li Auto has published only its own weekly EV registration.
The weekly data are used by consultants, analysts, or investors to see the sales trend and forecast monthly deliveries. They show how many cars were registered for road traffic, which can be later compared with automakersβ self-reported monthly sales, which, unlike registrations, include cars for showrooms, test cars, and other uses.
Most of Chinaβs media have followed CAAMβs recommendation to stop publishing weekly figures. CarNewsChina continues to publish weekly insurance registrations, based onΒ China EV DataTrackerΒ data.
The numbers are rounded and present new energy vehicle (NEV) sales, the Chinese term for BEVs, PHEVs, and EREVs (range extenders). To be completely precise, it also includes hydrogen vehicles (FCEVs), but their sales are almost non-existent in China.
Week 21 of 2025 (W21) was between May 19 and 25.
BYD registered 53,320 vehicles, down 3.2% from 55,100 units the week before, and down 3.05% from 55,000 units in the same week last year. In the first three weeks of May, BYD registered 176,400 vehicles in China.
Denza registered 2,700 vehicles, down 7.5% from 2,920 units the week before, and rose 17.39% from 2,300 units in the same week last year. In the first three weeks of May, Denza registered 8,610 vehicles in China.
Fang Cheng Bao registered 2,700 vehicles, down 2.2% from 2,760 units the week before. No comparable data is available for the same week last year. In the first three weeks of May, Fang Cheng Bao registered 8,120 vehicles in China.
Tesla registered 10,970 vehicles, down 1.4% from 11,130 units the week before, and fell 16.26% from 13,100 units in the same week last year. In the first three weeks of May, Tesla registered 25,170 vehicles in China.
Li Auto registered 10,475 vehicles, up 13.4% from 9,240 units the week before, and rose 21.80% from 8,600 units in the same week last year. In the first three weeks of May, Li Auto registered 27,875 vehicles in China.
Aito registered 8,778 vehicles, up 17.2% from 7,490 units the week before, and rose 35.05% from 6,500 units in the same week last year. In the first three weeks of May, Aito registered 23,808 vehicles in China.
Leapmotor registered 7,185 vehicles, down 4.2% from 7,500 units the week before, and rose 75.24% from 4,100 units in the same week last year. In the first three weeks of May, Leapmotor registered 22,485 vehicles in China.
Xiaomi registered 6,819 vehicles, down 4.8% from 7,160 units the week before, and rose 152.56% from 2,700 units in the same week last year. In the first three weeks of May, Xiaomi registered 19,159 vehicles in China.
Xpeng registered 5,700 vehicles, down 1.9% from 5,810 units the week before, and rose 200.00% from 1,900 units in the same week last year. In the first three weeks of May, Xpeng registered 18,380 vehicles in China.
GAC Aion registered 5,130 vehicles. There is no data from the previous week for comparison, and registrations fell 35.06% from 7,900 units in the same week last year.
Deepal registered 4,520 vehicles, up 0.4% from 4,500 units the week before, and rose 96.52% from 2,300 units in the same week last year. In the first three weeks of May, Deepal registered 13,720 vehicles in China.
Nio registered 3,840 vehicles, down 9.4% from 4,240 units the week before, and fell 28.89% from 5,400 units in the same week last year. In the first three weeks of May, Nio registered 12,010 vehicles in China.
Onvo registered 1,560 vehicles, down 1.3% from 1,580 units the week before. In the first three weeks of May, Onvo registered 4,800 vehicles in China.
Firefly registered 1,130 vehicles, up 36.1% from 830 units the week before. In the first three weeks of May, Firefly registered 2,430 vehicles in China.
Nio Group sold 6,530 cars last week, down 1.8% from the previous week. In the first three weeks of May, it sold 19,240 EVs in China.
Zeekr registered 3,600 vehicles, down 1.1% from 3,640 units the week before, and fell 21.74% from 4,600 units in the same week last year. In the first three weeks of May, Zeekr registered 11,550 vehicles in China.
Avatr registered 2,470 vehicles, up 2.9% from 2,400 units the week before. In the first three weeks of May, Avatr registered 7,500 vehicles in China.
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China EV registrations in week 20: Nio 4,240, Xiaomi 7,160, Tesla 11,130, BYD 55,100
China EV registrations in week 19: Tesla 3,070, Nio 3,930, Xpeng 6,870, BYD 67,980
China EV registrations in week 18: Nio 3,500, Xpeng 5,500, Tesla 7,300, BYD 59,310
