China EV race heats up: Leapmotor, Zeekr shine amid BYD slowdown

China’s new energy vehicle (NEV) market in April 2026 showed a mixed performance among major automakers, with strong growth from emerging brands and continued pressure on some established leaders.

BYD remained the market leader, reporting 314,100 NEV sales in April. However, this also marked its eighth consecutive month of year-on-year decline, despite maintaining the top position, News.Az reports, citing CarNewsChina.com.

In contrast, the company’s overseas momentum remained strong, with passenger car and pickup exports reaching a record 134,500 units, up 70.9% year-on-year and accounting for more than 40% of total monthly sales.

BYD also recorded 20.977 GWh of NEV battery installations and energy storage output during the month.

SAIC and Geely followed BYD in overall NEV performance, while Chery achieved a major milestone, surpassing 100,000 NEV sales for the first time, reaching 100,276 units.

Among standout performers, Leapmotor and Zeekr both reached record monthly delivery highs. Leapmotor delivered 71,387 units in April, representing a 73.9% year-on-year increase and marking its third consecutive month leading the new force rankings. The company also reported that production capacity at its A10 facility has now exceeded 1,000 units per day.

Geely’s NEV sales reached 135,591 units, with a penetration rate of 58%. Its premium electric brand Zeekr delivered 31,787 units, up 132% year-on-year, with an average vehicle price of nearly 350,000 yuan (about $50,700).

Li Auto delivered 34,085 units, a slight 0.4% year-on-year increase, as it prepares for the upcoming launch of the L9 Livis on May 15, with a pre-sale price of 559,800 yuan (around $81,100).

Xpeng reported a recovery with 31,011 deliveries, while Nio delivered 29,356 units, up 22.8% year-on-year. Within Nio’s multi-brand strategy, the main Nio brand accounted for 19,024 units, Onvo contributed 5,352 units, and Firefly added 4,980 units.

Xiaomi delivered more than 30,000 units in April, while expanding its service network to 495 stores across 143 cities. Huawei’s Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance (HIMA) reported 32,759 deliveries during the month.

According to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA), although NEV performance continued to outperform internal combustion engine vehicles, the overall market faced some pressure in early April due to holiday disruptions and increased cost pressure on consumers linked to fuel prices. However, strong export growth and increasing technological parity among mid-range brands—such as Leapmotor bringing advanced intelligent driving features into the 100,000 yuan ($14,500) segment—continue to drive structural change in the industry.

News.Az 

By Nijat Babayev