MUNICH, GERMANY – SEPTEMBER 9: Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD will display its vehicles (EVs) on the first day of the IAA MOBILITY 2025 automobile trade show on September 9, 2025 in Munich, Germany. The IAA comes at a time when Chinese automakers are seeing strong profits, especially in electric vehicles, while German automakers are seeing profits lag and struggling to maintain market share. (Photo by Johannes Simon/Getty Images)
Johannes Simon | Getty Images News | Getty Images
BYD Sales in December fell sharply compared to the same month last year, marking the end of a volatile year for electric vehicles in China amid intense price competition and sluggish domestic demand.
The company recorded 414,784 deliveries in December, down from 474,921 in November, according to Friday’s filing.
The latest statistics mean that BYD has cut its sales target for 2025 by 16% to 4.6 million units as domestic demand continues to weaken.
The EV giant also remains the clear market leader, delivering more than 4.54 million passenger vehicles in 2025. This is a 6.94% increase compared to 2024 deliveries.
it casts a shadow teslaThe company recorded wholesale sales of 735,274 Model Y and Model 3 units in China from January to November, according to a CNBC calculation of data from the China Passenger Car Association. December numbers have not yet been released.
Affordable model with edge
EV startups posted strong growth in 2025, as mass-market models and aggressive pricing increasingly outperformed premium-focused strategies.
Leapmotor has emerged as one of the fastest growing brands, exceeding its target for the year with 596,555 deliveries in 2025. The company, which celebrated its 10th anniversary last year, aims to nearly double sales from 2024 and deliver 1 million EVs in 2026.
Spen The company announced Thursday that it recorded a significant increase, with annual sales of 429,445 units, an increase of 126% from 2024. The company’s vehicle deliveries peaked in September and October after launching the Mona series in September.
Nioh The company announced in a release on Thursday that it will deliver 326,028 vehicles in 2025, an increase of 46.9% from the previous year. About half of the shipments came from Nio’s premium brand of the same name. In the release, the company also announced that its flagship SUV ES8 has set a record for the fastest delivery in China among EVs priced over 400,000 yuan ($57,172).
The number of annual shipments is not specified. xiaomi sold more than 50,000 units in December, setting a new record. The smartphone maker delivered more than 380,000 cars in 2025, according to CNBC’s monthly data calculations.
Li Auto Sales Trend
In contrast, Li Auto delivered 406,343 vehicles in 2025, a significant decline from its record high in 2024.
The company delivered 44,246 vehicles in December, bringing the monthly total to over 40,000 for the first time since May. The latest readings show growth has rebounded since sales were hit by marketing missteps around the launch of the competitively priced Li i8 in September.
Meanwhile, the Huawei-backed Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance (which includes brands such as Aito, Chery, and Maextro) recorded strong momentum, delivering approximately 589,107 vehicles in 2025, an increase of 32% year-on-year.
The company said it recorded 89,611 deliveries in December, setting a new monthly delivery record for the third consecutive month.
The company has not disclosed the number of units shipped by Mr. Aito.
