China retail September 2024: Market up 13.1%, BYD, Li Auto, Jetour and Leapmotor break records

Li Auto sales reach an all-time high level in September…

Retail sales of the models included in this report gain a splendid 13.1% year-on-year in September to 2,120,861 units. This leads to a year-to-date up 3.1% to 15,072,237. BSCB is the only non-Chinese medium to cover both wholesales (ex-factory shipments) and retail sales data for China so you can get the most complete picture of the largest new car market in the world. Retail sales tend to give a more authentic view of the market as they roughly correspond to registrations by end-customers. This way, they are more difficult to boost with exports, as is sometimes the case for wholesales. Note imports, pickups and medium to heavy commercials are not included in this dataset, but it sometimes includes a more detailed split by model variant.

…as do BYD deliveries…

For the fourth month in a row, BYD (+59.9%) breaks its monthly volume record, lifting it to 368,640 vs. 262,958 in June. A slew of five new models add up to a whopping 124,000 units: among them the Qin L, Seal 06 and Song L all breaking their volume record this month. The Destroyer 05 (+149.5%), Seagull (+45.8%) and Song Plus (+21.4%) also shine. Volkswagen (+2.6%) is in positive for the first time since January, also managing its largest monthly volume since January. The German carmaker is helped by strong performances from the Tayron (+85.3%), Lavida (+42.8%), Tharu (+26.3%), Passat (+21.3%) and ID.4 X (+15.5%). Toyota (+3.6%) also manages its first positive result since January, lifted by the Granvia (+60.6%), Crown Kluger (+56%), Avalon (+52.6%), Sienna (+31.2%), Corolla Cross (+24.3%) and bZ3 (+23%).

…Jetour…

Wuling (+44%) posts an excellent month and repeats at #4 thanks to the revival of the Hongguang Mini EV (+88%). Geely (-3%) is weaker at #5 ahead of a surging Tesla (+66.4%), now #8 year-to-date vs. #12 over the Full Year 2023. Changan (-21.7%) and Honda (-43.4%) struggle but Chery (+43.7%) and Nissan (+14.5%) impress. Li Auto soars 45.7% year-on-year to just under 53,000 sales, a new all-time record for the brand. In contrast Audi (-13.5%), Mercedes (-13.3%) and BMW (-30.2%) all ensure harsh falls. Hongqi (+18.4%) is solid at #15 with AITO (+731.3%) euphoric at #16. Jetour (+85.8%) breaks its volume record for the 2nd month in a row while Leapmotor (+120%) does so for the third straight time. Galaxy (#23), Xiaomi (#31), Yipai (#47) and Fang Cheng Bao (#51) top recent brand launches.

…and Leapmotor

In the models ranking, BYD places five models in the Top 6 with the Seagull (+45.8%) repeating at #1 and now ranking #3 year-to-date. The Tesla Model Y (+15.4%) is #2 just 260 sales below. The BYD Song Plus (+21.4%) distances the Qin Plus (+11.6%) and newcomers the Qin L and Seal 06. The Nissan Sylphy (+24%) and VW Lavida (+42.8%) post unusual healthy results just as the Wuling Bingo (+37.9%) scores its 2nd ever Top 10 finish after October 2023 when it also ranked #10. There’s a further two BYD models inside the Top 12: the Yuan Plus (-13.5%) and new Song L breaking records as does the Li L6 at #13.

Previous month: China retail August 2024: BYD up to 360,000 sales, Jetour, Leapmotor at all-time high

One year ago: China retail September 2023: Four BYD models in Top 5, LI Auto breaks record again

Full September 2024 Top 127 All brands and Top 690 All models below.