Data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers shows China's new energy vehicle (NEV) sector continued to set records. In September, NEV production and sales reached about 1.617 million and 1.604 million units respectively, up 42.7% and 45.6% year on year, with NEVs accounting for 49.7% of total new-vehicle sales and a January–September cumulative volume of around 12.6 million units—close to a 50% market share.
Exports were a standout: September NEV exports hit 222,000 units, more than doubling year on year. The China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) separately reported September domestic NEV retail at about 1.296 million units, up 15.5%, with a retail penetration rate of 57.8%—another fresh high. Analysts said the combination of trade-in subsidies, local incentives and a dense wave of new-model deliveries is sustaining NEV momentum even as the broader market cools.
The figures underscore that electrification has moved from a policy-driven niche to the structural core of China's auto market, with exports emerging as a second growth engine alongside domestic substitution.
Source: SMM / CAAM / CPCA
