Author: Erchai

As a staunch patriot, I have boasted about the sales performance of domestic cars more than once. Every time the monthly or quarterly sales figures are released, I always pay special attention to the market share of domestically produced cars and faithfully carry forward the fine tradition of “bragging to the fullest extent possible “.

But none of my previous boasts has been as confident as today, when I can use the somewhat provocative and exaggerated statement that “for every 10 new cars sold in China, one is a BYD”！

And the fact is, we use data to speak. Last month, China’s domestic passenger car market sold 1.922 million vehicles (a significant increase), and BYD sold 191,200 vehicles in September, accounting for 9.9% of the market share, which basically contributed one-tenth of the total sales volume of September. Of course, BYD also continued to top the sales ranking of automobile manufacturers.

Among the top ten automakers in terms of sales volume, in addition to BYD, there are three other domestic auto brands, namely Geely and Changan Automobile ranked fourth and fifth respectively (both with sales exceeding 100,000 vehicles in September), and the dark horse, Chery Automobile ranked tenth. Great Wall Motors, a familiar name on the sales list, has not made the top ten sales rankings for a long time, and is one of the few domestic auto companies whose sales have declined.

Sedans: Qin vs Hongguang MINI, Han vs Model 3

You may find it hard to believe that the BYD Qin, which sells for more than 100,000 yuan, and the Hongguang MINI, which sells for only 20,000 yuan, differed by only one vehicle in September’s sales performance. The former’s monthly sales volume reached 37,400 units, with total sales of over 100,000 units for a single model this year.

Byd’s other sedan, the Han, also surpassed 30,000 units in sales in September, even surpassing the Tesla Model 3 to become the best-selling mid-range car. It is indeed surprising that a domestically produced mid-level sedan with a price tag of over 200,000 RMB could sell 30,000 units per month. In comparison, the Dolphin, which sold only 24,800 units, no longer looks as impressive.

Byd’s sales in China have been booming, and last month they also made a big splash in Europe and Japan. The pricing for the Yuan PLUS, Han, and Tang models were announced in Europe, and Wang Chuanfu personally took the stage, quietly stating that they want to bring more excellent electric cars to the Europeans and build their dreams.

European media spread the news as if they had suddenly gained the feeling that “The French are coming to make electric cars for us”. While entering the European market with more new models is more significant in terms of symbolism than actual results, I am also excited to see Byd bring “BUILD DREAMS” to more lost Europeans.

In addition, due to Shanghai’s earlier decision to end the green license plate policy for plug-in hybrid models next year, consumers in need of license plates are scrambling to buy cars before January 1, 2023. Assuming nothing unexpected occurs, Byd’s sales will continue to maintain a relatively high level for the remaining three months of this year.

In terms of the top 10 sedans, Byd occupies three seats, while the rest, such as the Xuan Yi, Lang Yi, and Corolla, are performing normally.

SUV: Model Y Crushing It, Tang, Song, and Yuan Keeping Up

If the fact that Byd’s Han — a mid-range sedan —surpassed 30,000 units in sales was surprising, then the performance of Tesla’s Model Y in September could only be described as “crushing it”. Many people say that Tesla is now cheap, and everyone can afford to buy it. However, you should know that the selling price of the Model Y is basically above 300,000 RMB, yet it still sold 46,600 units in September, more than cars such as the Hong Guang MINI EV and the Byd Song.

If it is to add a tag to it, it would be “the best-selling car in the Chinese market”. If it is placed in Douyin short video, the content may be “Who said the consumption power has decreased this year? The best-selling new car this year is the Tesla Model Y priced at more than 300,000 Yuan. Maybe only you are poor”.

As we all know, Model Y is equally attractive to young people in first-tier cities as funds, camping, and ultimate frisbee.

Of course, BYD’s strong sales also rely on the help of SUV models. The sales of BYD Song family reached 45,900 units, Yuan PLUS reached 16,700 units, Tang family reached 15,000 units, and three BYD cars were among the top ten best-selling SUVs.

MPV: The GLS sells more than the Wuling Hong Guang

In September, Wuling Hong Guang sold only 11,000 units, and its sales were overtaken by Buick GL8, which sold 14,900 units in September. Although the MPV market share is small, competition has not been small in recent years. Toyota introduced the Highlander, with stable sales output. In September, it sold 6,796 units, with a score of around 6,000 units per month. The total sales this year reached 54,300 units, and it is a frequent visitor to the top 3 of the MPV list.

The momentum of GAC Trumpchi M8 is also not small. The plug-in hybrid version of the M8 model is about to be sold. Can it help the M8 to further improve its monthly sales of 5,000 units? It is worth looking forward to.

High-end cars: Ideal L9 suffers the harshest criticisms, but is the best-selling car

Although L9 has mixed reviews on the Internet, Ideal has been frequently criticized for various operations, such as stopping production, releasing new cars of Ideal ONE, etc. However, the actual sales have slapped many people’s faces.

In the first month of its listing, Ideal L9 sold more than 10,000 units, reaching 10,123 units. You must know that the price of L9 is more than 1 million Yuan more expensive than the Ideal ONE, and the starting price is as high as 460,000 Yuan. The significance of selling more than 10,000 units per month is even more precious. This car is indeed luxurious and comfortable to drive and sit in. It is expensive and smells good too. It’s up to personal preference to decide whether to invest or not.

In the top ten of high-end SUVs, there is a new face – the Wanjie M7 with extended range technology. With the support of Huawei’s intelligent technology, the Wanjie has the opportunity to experience what it feels like to be a high-end car model in terms of sales. However, with Shanghai canceling its green license plate policy for plug-in hybrids (including extended range technology) next year, whether it and Ideal can maintain such performance remains a big question mark.

In the high-end car segment, the BBA’s hot-selling cars have all shown a significant year-on-year increase. The wealthy may be late, but they never miss out. In the top ten list, we can see three domestic brand sedans, namely the NIO ET7, the Hongqi H9, and the IM L7, which may not have high sales, but can still catch up with the BBA. The domestic high-end SUVs with sales of over ten thousand have already emerged, so who will achieve this milestone in the high-end sedan segment?

Overall, the most eye-catching performance in September came from two new energy automakers – BYD and Tesla. Whether BYD can surpass FAW-Volkswagen to become the annual champion this year remains to be seen.

This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.