China EV Roundup: Leapmotor and Zeekr Break Records as Li Auto and HIMA Slip in September

September 2026 proved a month of sharply diverging fortunes for China’s automakers. Leapmotor pushed past the 100,000 mark for a third straight month, and Zeekr notched its sixth consecutive monthly record, while Xiaomi’s auto arm cleared 40,000 deliveries for the first time this year as its Sky Nomad line began reaching customers. At the top of the table, BYD sold 463,561 new energy vehicles — a 16.98 percent year-on-year gain that marked its fifth straight month of annual growth and its best showing of 2026 so far, with third-quarter volume up 18.75 percent over the prior year.

Geely Auto posted its strongest month of the year at 292,168 units, up 6.97 percent year-on-year, though its streak of eight straight record export months came to an end as overseas volume eased 3.10 percent from August to 106,685. Domestic sales, at 185,483, were the highest since January even as they slipped 20.21 percent year-on-year — a decline that has now narrowed for two months running. GWM, by contrast, saw its steepest year-on-year drop since January 2025, with September sales of 114,944 down 13.99 percent, dragged by an eleventh consecutive month of contraction at home.

Among the newer players, results were mixed. Nio delivered 37,408 vehicles, ending two months of sequential declines and lifting its third-quarter total to 109,178 — inside its guidance band. Its flagship brand rose 55.29 percent year-on-year and Firefly hit a monthly record, but Onvo slid for a second straight month. Xpeng reached a 2026 high of 41,256 units, down a marginal 0.78 percent year-on-year, and logged a record quarterly haul of 118,390 vehicles. Li Auto, however, gave back August’s gains with a 6.29 percent annual decline to 31,817 units, and Huawei’s HIMA posted a fourth consecutive year-on-year drop at 37,490 deliveries.