China Automaker Deliveries Reach New Highs in September

China automaker deliveries showed sharply different trends in September 2026, with several major manufacturers and electric vehicle startups reaching new monthly highs while others recorded year-over-year declines. Leapmotor exceeded 100,000 global deliveries for a third consecutive month, and Zeekr established another monthly record. Nio Inc returned to month-on-month growth, while Xpeng achieved its highest monthly delivery total of the year. BYD also continued its recovery, selling 463,561 new energy vehicles and extending its year-over-year growth streak to five months. Meanwhile, Li Auto and Huawei HIMA reported declines compared with September 2025, highlighting the increasingly varied performance across China's automotive market.

September 2026 Deliveries Across Major Chinese Automakers

The September delivery figures show a wide performance gap among China's major automakers and EV-focused brands. BYD remained the largest company in the supplied comparison with 463,561 vehicles, followed by Chery Group at 292,308 and Geely Auto at 292,168. SAIC-GM-Wuling delivered 132,045 vehicles, while GWM reached 114,944 and Leapmotor delivered 105,656 globally. Other companies reported substantially lower monthly volumes, including Nevo at 46,507, Xpeng at 41,256, Xiaomi EV at more than 40,000, Huawei HIMA at 37,490, Nio Inc at 37,408, and Zeekr at 37,216. GAC Aion, Li Auto, Deepal, Voyah, Avatr, and VW Anhui also contributed to the September market results.

September 2026 Delivery Comparison

The reported monthly delivery figures provide a direct comparison of the major automakers and EV brands covered in the September 2026 data. Xiaomi EV is shown as greater than 40,000 because the company did not disclose an exact September figure, while the remaining figures represent the reported monthly totals. The comparison also includes traditional automakers, newer EV manufacturers, joint-venture operations, and technology-backed mobility groups, illustrating the broad range of companies competing across China's passenger-vehicle market. The supplied figures are retained without aggregation or adjustment so that each reported company or business unit remains identifiable in the September comparison.

BYD Extends Its Recovery

BYD sold 463,561 new energy vehicles in September, an increase of 16.98% from a year earlier and 5.28% from August. The result was the company's highest monthly sales level of the year and extended its year-over-year growth streak to five consecutive months. BYD delivered 1,323,065 NEVs in the third quarter, representing an 18.75% year-over-year increase and a 19.41% rise from the second quarter. The company returned to quarterly year-over-year growth after four consecutive quarters of declines. During the first nine months, BYD sold 3,131,576 vehicles, down 3.94% year over year, although the decline narrowed from 6.84% during the first eight months.

Geely Posts Its Highest Monthly Sales of 2026

Geely Auto sold 292,168 vehicles in September, increasing 6.97% year over year and 8.13% from August. The result represented its highest monthly sales total of the year and marked a third consecutive month of year-over-year growth above 5%. Geely exported 106,685 vehicles, up 162.35% from September 2025 but down 3.10% from August's 110,094 units. Its monthly exports had previously established records for eight consecutive months. Exports represented 37% of total September sales, compared with 41% in August. Domestic sales reached 185,483 vehicles, the highest monthly level since January, although they remained 20.21% below the prior-year level.

GWM Faces Continued Domestic Pressure

GWM sold 114,944 vehicles in September, down 13.99% year over year but up 1.37% from August. The year-over-year decline was the company's steepest since January 2025. GWM's January-through-September sales totaled 920,302 vehicles, down 0.33% from the same period a year earlier, after cumulative sales had still been 1.98% higher at the end of August. Overseas sales reached 60,019 vehicles in September, increasing 19.40% year over year but falling 4.00% from August's record 62,517. Overseas deliveries represented 52.22% of September's total, while China sales fell about 34% year over year, marking an eleventh consecutive month of domestic declines.

Nio Returns to Month-on-Month Growth

Nio Inc delivered 37,408 vehicles in September, up 7.65% year over year and 4.39% from August, ending two consecutive months of month-on-month declines. Third-quarter deliveries reached 109,178 vehicles, up 25.39% year over year and within the company's guidance range of 108,000 to 111,000 vehicles. The main Nio brand delivered 21,318 vehicles, an increase of 55.29% from a year earlier. Onvo delivered 8,763 vehicles, down 42.52% year over year and marking its second consecutive month of annual declines. Firefly reached a record 7,327 deliveries, up 26.87% year over year and 25.21% from August. Nio Inc's first-nine-month deliveries reached 300,301 vehicles, up 49.24%.

Xpeng Reaches Its Highest Monthly Level This Year

Xpeng delivered 41,256 vehicles in September, down 0.78% year over year but up 5.50% from August. The result was the company's highest monthly delivery total of 2026 and ended a three-month run of year-over-year growth. Xpeng delivered a record 118,390 vehicles during the third quarter, up 2.05% year over year and slightly above the midpoint of its guidance range of 115,000 to 121,000 vehicles. First-nine-month deliveries totaled 284,367 vehicles, down 9.20% year over year, although the decline narrowed from 10.49% through the first eight months. Mona L03 deliveries exceeded 10,000 in September, while the flagship GX SUV reached 7,224 units and surpassed 7,000 for three consecutive months.

Li Auto Loses September Momentum

Li Auto delivered 31,817 vehicles in September, down 6.29% from a year earlier and 15.56% from August, ending the company's return to year-over-year growth recorded in August. Third-quarter deliveries reached 99,964 vehicles, up 7.24% year over year and 1.66% from the second quarter, placing the result close to the upper end of its guidance range of 95,000 to 100,000 vehicles. First-nine-month deliveries totaled 293,436 vehicles, down 1.25% year over year, compared with a 0.60% decline during the first eight months. The updated Li L6 delivered more than 10,000 units in September. Li Auto also plans to launch the updated Li i6 in late October and begin deliveries in early November.

Leapmotor Maintains Triple-Digit Monthly Deliveries

Leapmotor delivered 105,656 vehicles globally in September, increasing 58.51% year over year and 2.45% from August. The company exceeded 100,000 deliveries for a third consecutive month. Third-quarter deliveries reached a record 310,052 vehicles, up 78.34% year over year and 25.87% from the second quarter. During the first nine months, Leapmotor delivered 666,539 vehicles, an increase of 68.52% year over year and already above its full-year 2025 total of 596,555 vehicles. The company had achieved approximately 66.7% of its annual target of 1,000,000 vehicles by the end of September. It would therefore need another 333,461 deliveries during the final three months, averaging about 111,154 vehicles per month.

Huawei HIMA Records Another Year-over-Year Decline

Huawei HIMA delivered 37,490 vehicles in September, down 29.15% year over year and 10.95% from August. The result marked a fourth consecutive year-over-year decline and a third consecutive month-on-month decrease. First-nine-month deliveries reached 367,229 vehicles, up 5.27% year over year, representing a substantial slowdown from the 11.42% growth recorded during the first eight months. HIMA said cumulative deliveries across its lineup had surpassed 1,560,000 vehicles. September's decline occurred as the updated Luxeed R7, Luxeed RX, Stelato V8, and updated Aito M8 were launched or opened for pre-sales during the month, adding several new or refreshed products to the alliance's lineup.

Zeekr Sets a Sixth Consecutive Monthly Record

Zeekr delivered 37,216 vehicles in September, up 103.85% year over year and 0.64% from August. The Geely Auto brand achieved its sixth consecutive monthly delivery record and its eighth consecutive month of both year-over-year and month-on-month growth. First-nine-month deliveries reached 288,404 vehicles, doubling approximately to a 100.84% year-over-year increase. Since deliveries began in 2021, cumulative deliveries had reached 931,293 vehicles. The flagship 9X hybrid SUV delivered 7,225 vehicles in September, supported by a production ramp-up for its five-seat version. Zeekr 7X sales also exceeded 10,000 vehicles for a third consecutive month, adding further support to the brand's strong September performance.

Xiaomi Auto Reaches Its Highest Monthly Level

Xiaomi Auto reported September deliveries above 40,000 vehicles, making the month its highest delivery level of the year, although the company did not provide an exact figure or a model-level breakdown. In August, Xiaomi Auto delivered 30,153 vehicles according to China Passenger Car Association data and figures compiled by the original source. Based on the disclosed September minimum, Xiaomi Auto had delivered at least 286,475 vehicles during the first nine months of 2026. That minimum represented approximately 52.1% of its annual target of 550,000 vehicles. September's performance also coincided with the start of deliveries for the Sky Nomad series, providing an additional product contribution to the company's monthly result.

Other Automakers Post Mixed September Results

Several other companies also recorded notable September results. SAIC-GM-Wuling delivered 132,045 vehicles, down 15.13% year over year but up 0.9% from August. GAC's Hyptec and Aion business unit delivered a combined 35,494 vehicles, up 21.91% year over year and extending its growth streak to seven consecutive months. Deepal delivered 30,185 vehicles, down 10.23% year over year but up 5.32% from August. Voyah delivered 13,025 vehicles in September, bringing its first-nine-month total to 115,481 vehicles, an increase of 19% year over year. These results add further evidence of the uneven performance across China's major automakers, with some businesses expanding while others remain under pressure.

Industry Impact & Outlook

September's results point to an increasingly differentiated competitive landscape in China's automotive market, where scale leaders, export-focused manufacturers, and rapidly growing EV brands are progressing at different rates. BYD's renewed growth, Geely Auto's strong exports, Leapmotor's sustained high-volume expansion, and Zeekr's repeated delivery records indicate continued momentum for several manufacturers, while domestic weakness at GWM and declining results at Li Auto and Huawei HIMA highlight competitive pressure within China. The contrasting results also suggest that product launches, international sales, production capacity, and brand-level demand will remain important factors as companies enter the final quarter of 2026. The next delivery reports will show whether September's divergent trends continue.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which automaker reported the highest September 2026 deliveries?
BYD reported the highest September 2026 delivery volume among the companies included in the supplied comparison, reaching 463,561 new energy vehicles during the month. Its result increased 16.98% from September 2025 and 5.28% from August, making September its strongest monthly level of the year. BYD also recorded 1,323,065 NEV deliveries during the third quarter, representing 18.75% year-over-year growth. The company had returned to quarterly year-over-year growth after four consecutive quarters of declines, while its first-nine-month total stood at 3,131,576 vehicles.

Which Chinese EV brands showed the strongest September growth?
Leapmotor and Zeekr were among the strongest performers in the September data, with both recording substantial year-over-year delivery growth and important monthly milestones. Leapmotor delivered 105,656 vehicles, up 58.51% year over year, while Zeekr delivered 37,216 vehicles, up 103.85%. Leapmotor exceeded 100,000 monthly deliveries for a third consecutive month, whereas Zeekr achieved its sixth consecutive monthly delivery record. Nio Inc also returned to month-on-month growth, while Xpeng reached its highest monthly delivery level of 2026.

How did Chinese automaker deliveries vary in September 2026?
September results varied significantly, with several companies posting records or strong growth while others experienced year-over-year declines. BYD, Leapmotor, Zeekr, Nio Inc, and Geely Auto all reported notable positive developments, although their growth rates and market positions differed. By contrast, GWM recorded its steepest annual decline since January 2025, Li Auto returned to year-over-year contraction, and Huawei HIMA posted its fourth consecutive annual decline. The results demonstrate that China's automotive market remained highly competitive, with performance differing substantially by company, product lineup, domestic demand, and export activity.