January NEV Sales Surge: BYD Song Tops Charts, Model Y Breaks into Top 4

On February 13, data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) showed that in January 2026, wholesale sales of passenger vehicles by Chinese automakers totaled 1.973 million units, a year-over-year decline of 6.2%. However, new energy vehicles (NEVs) delivered strong performance, with their wholesale penetration rate reaching 43.8%, up 1.3 percentage points year-over-year. Among them, domestic brands achieved an impressive NEV penetration rate of 57.9%. The BYD Song ranked first in sales with 42,227 units, followed by the Geely Xingyuan and Geely Boyue at second and third places with 41,676 and 41,296 units, respectively. The Tesla Model Y came in fourth with 38,916 units, closely trailed by the Xiaomi SU7 (YU7) with 37,869 units. Of the top 17 best-selling models, 13 were new energy vehicles. Traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) models such as the Volkswagen Sagitar (6th), Nissan Sylphy, and Volkswagen Lavida also maintained solid sales. Models like the Aito M7, Geely Xingyue L, and Chery Tiggo 8 secured top spots on the chart thanks to their strong product competitiveness, highlighting the dominant position of Chinese domestic brands in the new energy vehicle market.