China Auto Sales Rankings for March 2026: SAIC Leads with 376,000 Units, Multiple EV Startups Post Sharp MoM Gains

Monthly sales data for China’s auto market in March 2026 is gradually being released. SAIC Motor maintained its leading position with 376,000 vehicles sold in March and became the only Chinese automaker to surpass one million cumulative sales in the first quarter of 2026. According to aggregated data from IT Home, SAIC Motor reported total sales of 973,000 units from January to March 2026, with retail deliveries reaching 1,008,000 units. In March alone, its passenger vehicle segment sold 295,693 units, while overseas sales (including pickups) reached 119,591 units—a year-over-year increase of 65.2%—demonstrating robust export performance. BYD Group also delivered impressive results. Its total sales in Q1 2026 reached 700,463 units, bringing its cumulative new energy vehicle (NEV) sales past the 15.8 million mark. In March alone, BYD sold 89,600 NEVs, a staggering 112% month-over-month increase. Its overseas sales hit a record high of 103,900 units—surpassing 100,000 for the first time—up 60% month-over-month. Chery Group sold 240,678 vehicles in March, up 12.1% year-over-year, with Q1 cumulative sales totaling 601,712 units. Of these, 161,202 were NEVs, and exports reached 393,311 units, up 53.9% year-over-year. Chery now has a global user base of 19.12 million, including over 6.23 million overseas customers. GAC Group recorded nearly 380,000 cumulative sales in Q1, an increase of 2.38% year-over-year. Its March sales surged to 176,900 units, jumping 104.57% month-over-month. Great Wall Motor sold 106,200 vehicles in March, up 8.38% year-over-year, with overseas sales soaring 48.22% year-over-year. Its Q1 cumulative sales totaled 269,100 units, up 4.79% year-over-year. Among new-energy startups, NIO delivered 35,486 vehicles in March, surging 136% year-over-year and 70.6% month-over-month. Deliveries included 22,490 units under the NIO brand, 6,877 units under the ONVO brand, and 6,119 units under its new sub-brand Firefly—all achieving more than double their previous month’s figures. NIO’s total Q1 deliveries reached 83,465 units, up 98.3% year-over-year, with cumulative deliveries exceeding 1.08 million units. Seres Automotive sold 27,484 vehicles in March, up 11.68% year-over-year and 80% month-over-month, with production reaching 26,609 units, up 4.49% year-over-year. For XPeng Motors, its flagship model XPeng X9 delivered 3,075 units in March, a 134% year-over-year increase, bringing its global cumulative deliveries beyond 55,000 units. XPeng also revealed that the EVs it delivered in Q1 2026 are projected to reduce carbon emissions by over 980,000 tons across their lifetimes—equivalent to the carbon sequestration capacity of 16.34 million medium-sized saplings over ten years. Notably, Xiaomi Auto has not yet disclosed specific sales figures, only stating that March deliveries exceeded 20,000 units. For ranking purposes in this report, it is provisionally estimated at 20,000 units; its actual position may shift once official data is released. Overall, China’s auto market continued its recovery trend in Q1 2026, with both traditional automakers and new-energy startups advancing in tandem. New energy vehicles and overseas markets have emerged as the core drivers of growth.