Nio 3,500, Tesla 5,400, Xpeng 6,700, BYD 53,400

In the second week of April, the China EV market was mostly up, with several exceptions. Nio was up 95%, Tesla 50%, BYD 20%, while Xpeng was down 10% compared to the week before.

351,000 passenger cars were registered in China, up 3.9% from last week. Of these, 186,000 were electric vehicles, meaning the EV penetration rate was 53%, up 2.9% percentage points from last week.

The weekly sales were published by Li Auto. However, Li Auto ceased publishing them in March after the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) “recommended” that Li Auto, the media and any third parties end it. CAAM says weekly data “undermines the industry order” and “fuels vicious competition.” Since then, Li Auto has published only its own 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 automakers’ self-reported monthly sales, which, unlike registrations, include cars for showrooms, test cars, and other uses.

China-controlled media have followed CAAM’s recommendation to stop publishing weekly figures. CarNewsChina continues to publish weekly insurance registrations, based on China EV DataTracker data.

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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 15 of 2025 (W15) was between April 6 and 13.

BYD led the registrations with 53,400 units, up 18.4% from 45,100 the previous week. In the first two weeks of April, BYD registered 98,500 vehicles in China.

BYD’s premium brand Denza, a former joint venture with Mercedes-Benz, recorded 3,000 registrations, an increase of 15.4% from 2,600 units a week earlier. In the first two weeks of April, Denza registered 5,600 vehicles in China.

BYD sold 4.3 million vehicles in 2024 and is expected to deliver around 5.5 million units in 2025. In April 2022, BYD ceased production of ICE-only vehicles and focused solely on EVs.

Li Auto followed with 7,200 registrations, rising 16.1% from 6,200 units a week earlier. In the first two weeks of April, Li Auto registered 13,400 vehicles in China.

Li Auto sells mainly EREV SUVs. Last year, it launched its first all-electric car, Li Mega. However, the sales were disastrous for the coffin-like vehicle. In response, Li Auto delayed the launch of another all-electric model to Q2 2025 – it will be an all-electric SUV, Li Auto i8, which was already teased in spy shots.

Li Auto reportedly aims to sell 700,000 cars in 2025. In 2024, the company sold 500,508 vehicles.

Xpeng saw 6,700 registrations, down 10.7% from 7,500 units the previous week. In the first two weeks of April, Xpeng registered 14,200 vehicles in China.

Xpeng’s monthly delivery volume has exceeded 30,000 vehicles for the fifth consecutive month as the company announced 33,205 delivered units in March. The Mona M03 entry-level sedan has powered its deliveries, contributing about half of the sales in the last three months. Mona M03 recently reached 100,000 produced units, 216 days after the launch.

Leapmotor recorded 6,400 registrations, increasing 18.5% from 5,400 units the week before. In the first two weeks of April, Leapmotor registered 11,800 vehicles in China.

Xiaomi registered 6,300 vehicles, up 23.5% from 5,100 the previous week. In the first two weeks of April, Xiaomi registered 11,400 vehicles in China.

Last month, Beijing-based smartphone giant raised its 2025 delivery target by 50,000 units to 350,000 vehicles.

In 2024, the company delivered 135,000 vehicles.

Tesla had 5,400 registrations, a 50.0% rise from 3,600 units the previous week. In the first two weeks of April, Tesla registered 9,000 vehicles in China.

Tesla China sold 78,828 vehicles in March, including domestic sales and overseas shipments from Giga Shanghai. This is 11.5% down from 89,064 units last year and up 156.9% from 30,688 units in February.

Deepal posted 4,340 registrations, up 5.9% from 4,100 units the week before. In the first two weeks of April, Deepal registered 8,440 vehicles in China.

Nio saw a strong rebound with 3,500 registrations, up 94.4% from 1,800 units the previous week. In the first two weeks of April, Nio registered 5,300 vehicles in China.

In early April, Nio ramped up incentives to boost sales and clear inventory before launching facelifted models. New Nio buyers can get 5 years of free battery swap, with a cap of 240.

Nio’s brand Onvo had 730 registrations, rising 4.3% from 700 the previous week. In the first two weeks of April, Onvo registered 1,430 vehicles in China.

Onvo sells a single model, an L60 SUV, launched in September 2024 to compete with the Tesla Model Y. Its initial monthly sales target was to reach 10,000 units in December and 20,000 in March.

The December target was achieved with little help from selling cars to its own employees. However, the March target of 20,000 units was strongly missed; the brand delivered only 4,820 vehicles. As a result, Onvo CEO Alan Ai resigned and was replaced by Shen Fei, head of Nio Power.

Onvo will soon launch its second car, the massive SUV L90. It will compete with Li Auto L9 and Aito M9 and most likely cannibalise sales of Nio’s first mass-produced EV, the ES8.

Nio Group’s sales target is about 440,000 vehicles in 2024, of which Onvo should contribute half. Last year, the company delivered 220,000 vehicles.

Nio’s third brand, Firefly, will launch its first EV on April 19.

Together, Nio Group registered 4,200 vehicles, up 68% from 2,500 vehicles the week before.

Aito registered 3,200 vehicles, down 33.3% from 4,800 units the previous week. In the first two weeks of April, Aito registered 8,000 vehicles in China.

Zeekr posted 2,300 registrations, a decline of 14.8% from 2,700 units the previous week. In the first two weeks of April, Zeekr registered 5,000 vehicles in China.

Avatr registered 1,500 vehicles, up 15.4% from 1,300 units the week before. In the first two weeks of April, Avatr registered 2,800 vehicles in China.

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