China Set A Massive Plug-In Car Sales Record Of 750,000 Units In August 2023

Plug-in electric car sales in China continue to increase and in August reached an unprecedented level of 750,000 units.

According to EV Volumes’ data, shared by Jose Pontes, 750,735 new passenger plug-in electric cars were registered in China in August, which is roughly 36 percent more than a year ago.

The market share of plug-ins also appears to be at a record level of 39 percent. That’s basically two out of five new cars sold.

China is the world’s largest market for rechargeable cars, estimated at around 60 percent of the total global volume.

It’s worth noting that all-electric car sales are about two times higher than plug-in hybrid car sales in the country, reaching respectively roughly 500,000 and 250,000 units in August.

Plug-in car registrations for the month:

• BEVs: *500,000 and 26% market share
• PHEVs: *250,000 and 13% market share
• Total: 750,735 (up 36%) and 39% market share

* estimated from the market share

So far this year, more than 4.6 million new plug-in electric cars have been registered in China (up roughly 36 percent year-over-year), which is about 36 percent of the total volume.

Plug-in car registrations year-to-date:

• BEVs: *3.1 million and 24% market share
• PHEVs: *1.5 million and 12% market share
• Total: 4,673,525 (up 36%) and 36% market share

* estimated from the market share

For reference, in 2022, over 5.92 million new passenger plug-in electric cars were registered in China (30 percent of the total volume).

In August, the first four out of the top five best-selling car nameplates happened to be rechargeable cars.

The top one is the BYD Song family (56,743), followed by the Tesla Model Y (51,117), the BYD Qin family (42,808), and the BYD Seagull (34,841). The top internal combustion engine car was the Volkswagen Lavida (33,891).

Top 10 plug-ins for the month:

1. BYD Song Plus (9,043 BEVs + 47,700 PHEVs): 56,743
2. Tesla Model Y: 51,117
3. BYD Qin Plus (11,654 BEVs + 31,154 PHEVs): 42,808
4. BYD Seagull: 34,841
5. BYD Dolphin: 31,096
6. GAC Aion Y: 26,713
7. BYD Yuan Plus (aka Atto 3) BEV: 24,272
8. BYD Han (10,405 BEVs + 12,355 PHEVs): 22,760
9. GAC Aion S: 22,648
10. Wuling Hong Guang MINI EV: 15,858

The top 10, in terms of vehicle sales after the first eight months of the year. has not changed much. The Tesla Model Y still holds third place overall (and first among BEVs), while the majority of the top-selling rechargeable models are Chinese.

Top 10 plug-ins in January-August:

1. BYD Song Plus (46,950 BEVs + 318,446 PHEVs): 365,396
2. BYD Qin Plus (77,905 BEVs + 211,273 PHEVs): 289,178
3. Tesla Model Y: 278,681
4. BYD Dolphin: 220,105
5. BYD Yuan Plus (aka Atto 3) BEV: 213,474
6. GAC Aion S: 160,684
7. Wuling Hong Guang MINI EV: 153,380
8. BYD Han (69,495 BEVs + 71,891 PHEVs): 141,356
9. GAC Aion Y: 136,583
10. Tesla Model 3: 111,541

* BEV and PHEV versions of the same models were counted together in the source.

BYD is the most popular brand and automotive group in China, and this is not expected to change anytime soon.

Top brands by share in the plug-in segment in January-August:

• BYD: 35.2%
• Tesla: 8.4%
• GAC Aion: 6.6%
• SAIC-GM-Wuling: 5.6%
• Li Auto: 4.5%

Top automotive groups by share in the plug-in segment in January-August:

• BYD: 36.9%
  including Denza brand
• Tesla: 8.4%
• SAIC: 7.2%
  including SAIC-GM-Wuling joint venture (between SAIC, GM, and Liuzhou Wuling Motors)
• GAC: 7.1%
• Geely-Volvo: 5.8%