From：Internet Info Agency 2026-09-11 20:46:00
According to data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA), national passenger vehicle retail sales in August 2026 totaled 1.541 million units, down 23.6% year-on-year. Of this, conventional fuel-powered passenger vehicles accounted for 540,000 units, a 40% year-on-year decline. Notably, none of the top ten best-selling models that month were fuel-powered vehicles—a scenario that has occurred twice so far this year. In August, wholesale sales of HEVs (hybrid electric vehicles) reached 107,000 units, up 54% year-on-year. The Geely Xingyue L i-HEV and Xingrui i-HEV, launched over three months ago, have already accumulated dealer orders exceeding 20,000 units, with the Xingyue L i-HEV accounting for more than 50% of July orders. The Changan fourth-generation CS75 PLUS Blue Whale Super Hybrid HEV version captured 61% of the model series’ monthly deliveries in its launch month. At Geely Auto’s interim earnings announcement in August 2026, CEO Gan Jiayue declared that Geely will no longer develop conventional internal combustion engine vehicles; all existing ICE product lines will transition to i-HEV hybrid technology, aiming to drive annual sales of its "China Star" ICE-derived brand to one million units. Changan has unveiled its "Blue Whale Super Hybrid" system and set a 2026 HEV sales target of 100,000 units. Great Wall Motor introduced its "Super Smart Hybrid HEV," and the Haval Menglong Hi4 HEV all-wheel-drive hybrid variant has completed regulatory filings. Chery and GAC have also successively rolled out new technologies and products. Since the beginning of 2026, domestic gasoline prices have cumulatively increased by over RMB 1,700 per ton. Qiu Jingcao, Deputy Secretary-General of the Advanced Powertrain Systems Branch at the China Society of Automotive Engineers, noted that the latest generation of HEV architectures from Chinese自主品牌 brands evolved from PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle) platforms—achieved by reducing battery capacity and optimizing systems before reapplying them to HEVs. CPCA data shows that the NEV (new energy vehicle) penetration rate reached 65.2% in August. According to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), traditional fuel vehicle exports totaled 2.741 million units in the first half of 2026, accounting for 54% of total exports and rising 35.5% year-on-year—surpassing the同期 export volume of 2.355 million units for new energy vehicles. In a prior public interview, Li Pan, Brand Director at Changan Automobile, stated that Changan’s HEV products will enter markets in the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. Geely plans to initiate its overseas rollout of i-HEV models in the fourth quarter.
