China’s total vehicle sales declined 8.4% year-on-year to 2.956 million units in September 2026, deepening from a 5.1% fall in August, according to data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM). By contrast, new energy vehicle (NEV) sales rose 13.6% year-on-year in September to 1.823 million units, after a 17.8% increase in August. NEVs accounted for 61.6% of total vehicle sales, marking the third consecutive month in which their share exceeded 60%.
Over the first nine months of the year, overall vehicle sales fell 4.5% from a year earlier, while NEV sales grew 11.1% to 12.47 million units. During this period, NEVs represented 53.6% of all new vehicle sales and surpassed the 50% threshold for the third straight month. On a month-on-month basis, however, total vehicle sales in September were 9% higher.
For comparison, in the previous year China’s vehicle sales increased 9.4% to a record 34.4 million units, accelerating from 4.5% growth in 2024, while NEV sales jumped 28.2%.
