China’s total vehicle sales slipped by 0.3% year-on-year to 2.584 million units in July 2026, easing from a 3.2% decline in June, according to data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM). In contrast, sales of new energy vehicles (NEVs) jumped 23.7% from a year earlier.
Over the first seven months of the year, overall vehicle sales fell 3.7% compared with the same period a year ago, a sharp reversal from the 12.0% growth recorded in the corresponding period last year. NEV sales, however, remained resilient, rising 9.6% year-on-year during January–July.
For the whole of last year, China’s vehicle sales increased 9.4% year-on-year to a record 34.4 million units, up from 4.5% growth in 2024. NEV sales were particularly strong, surging 28.2% over the year.
