The Chinese auto market is buzzing with plugin vehicles, recording over 776,000 sales in September, marking a 22% increase year-over-year. This surge in sales is the second consecutive monthly record, with predictions of the trend continuing for the rest of the year. The total sales for the year have already surpassed 5.4 million units, reports CleanTechnica.
Plugin vehicles now account for a whopping 37% of the market share in China, with full electric vehicles (BEVs) making up 25% of total auto sales. Given the current trajectory, China’s plugin vehicle market share is projected to approach 40% by the end of 2023. Notably, China represented over 60% of global plugin registrations in September.
The dominance of plugin vehicles is evident in the top sellers for September, with the first four spots taken by plugin models. The highest-selling ICE model only managed to secure the 5th position.
Among the top electric vehicles in China for September 2023, BYD’s Song SUV took the lead with 62,840 registrations. The BEV version of the Song alone accounted for 10,072 of these registrations.
Following closely in second place was the BYD Qin Plus with 43,002 registrations. The BEV version of the Qin Plus contributed 11,837 to this number.
Tesla’s Model Y secured the third spot with 41,428 registrations. However, this was a decrease of 10,000 units from the previous month. Despite the intense competition from local automakers, Tesla remains the only foreign brand that can match the pace of China’s domestic car manufacturers. The Model Y faces internal competition from the refreshed Tesla Model 3, which could impact its sales in the coming months.
Looking at pure BEV sales, the Model Y led the way with its sales tally. From the January to September sales numbers, the Model Y has 320,109 registrations, taking the crown for pure BEV sales. When it comes to top-selling auto brands and auto groups in the Chinese EV market, BYD dominates with 35% and Tesla is in second at 8.1%.
The Model Y in China recently received a minor refresh, and the subtle enhancements should help Tesla continue to close BEV sales.
