China's major new energy vehicle (NEV) brands have released their August sales figures, painting a clear picture of a shifting competitive landscape. Leapmotor once again topped the list with a global delivery total of 103,129 units, a year-on-year increase of 80.7%, marking the second consecutive month it has crossed the 100,000-vehicle mark. XPeng and Li Auto delivered 39,107 units (up 4% year-on-year) and 37,679 units (up 32% year-on-year), respectively, both surpassing NIO's 35,836 units (up 14.5%). Meanwhile, Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance delivered 42,101 units, a 5.6% decrease compared to the 44,579 units in the same period last year, making it the only player in the top tier to experience a negative year-on-year growth rate.

Industry analysts from the China Passenger Car Association noted that August is traditionally not a peak sales season. High summer temperatures coupled with extreme weather events like typhoons kept overall market volumes low. However, signs of recovery are gradually building. Fuel-powered vehicles continue to face pressure from high oil prices and aging product lineups, and are expected to maintain a significant year-on-year decline.

Leapmotor Surpasses 100,000 Again, Also the Only Profitable One

Leapmotor delivered 103,129 vehicles globally in August, a year-on-year increase of 80.7%. This follows July's delivery of 101,267 vehicles, which represented a 102% year-on-year increase and marked the company's first month ever breaking the 100,000-unit plateau. August marks the second straight month above this threshold, making Leapmotor the only new energy brand to sell over 100,000 vehicles in a single month this period. According to official statements, based on recent comparable terminal registration numbers, Leapmotor ranks fourth globally among new energy passenger vehicle brands and third among Chinese new energy passenger vehicle brands.

Profitability is another highlight in Leapmotor's current narrative. The company's latest semi-annual financial report for the first half of 2026 shows record-high revenue of RMB 38.11 billion for the period, with a net profit of RMB 210 million, marking its third consecutive half-year of profitability. In the second quarter, gross margin improved to 12.6% quarter-on-quarter. Additionally, Leapmotor confirmed during its mid-year earnings call that it has entered the robotics business.

XPeng Holds Second Place, Li Auto's Sales Recover but Profitability Stalls

XPeng Group delivered a total of 39,107 vehicles in August, a 4% year-on-year increase, securing its position in second place. Its flagship model, the XPeng GX, delivered 7,338 units in a single month, achieving positive month-on-month growth for three consecutive months, with cumulative deliveries reaching 21,501 units by August 31st. The entry-level MONA series has now surpassed 310,000 cumulative deliveries.

According to its second-quarter results, XPeng's total revenue reached RMB 19.74 billion, an 8.0% year-on-year increase. Vehicle deliveries reached 103,295 units, up 64.8% quarter-on-quarter, with a comprehensive gross margin of 20.7%, a 3.4 percentage point improvement year-on-year.

However, the company's robotics initiatives drew more attention this month. In August, XPeng's robotics business completed its first round of financing, raising over USD 900 million, with a post-investment valuation exceeding USD 6.3 billion. This set a new record for the largest single-round private equity financing in China's embodied intelligence industry, led by IDG Capital with participation from Gaorong Ventures, and backed by strategic investors Tencent and Alibaba. The XPeng IRON robot is planned to enter mass production by the end of 2026, with official launch and delivery in both Chinese and overseas markets scheduled for 2027.

Li Auto delivered 37,679 vehicles in August, up 32% from the 28,529 units delivered in the same month last year, moving up to third place. As of August 31st, the company's historical cumulative deliveries have reached 1,801,834 units. The company claims it was the best-selling Chinese brand in the NEV market priced above RMB 200,000 during the first half of this year, and its Li i6 has ranked in the top three for all models above RMB 200,000 for seven consecutive months.

NIO Stumbles, Guidance Disappoints with 5% Drop

NIO delivered 35,836 vehicles in August, a 14.5% year-on-year increase, placing it fifth among leading new energy vehicle makers. By brand, the NIO brand delivered 21,174 units, up 101.2% year-on-year; the firefly sub-brand delivered 5,852 units, up 34.7%; and the Onvo brand delivered 8,810 units, for which no year-on-year figure was disclosed.

For the first eight months of this year, NIO has delivered a cumulative total of 262,893 vehicles, a 57.9% year-on-year increase. This breaks down to 160,670 units for the NIO brand (up 64.5%), 61,428 units for Onvo (up 13.2%), and 40,795 units for firefly (up 180.3%). To date, the company's cumulative deliveries have reached 1.2605 million vehicles.

The second-quarter earnings report released on the same day showed NIO achieved revenue of RMB 32.14 billion, a 69% year-on-year increase but below the RMB 33.36 billion market expectation. Automobile sales revenue was RMB 22.78 billion, a 41% increase, versus the expected RMB 29.83 billion. Deliveries reached 107,658 units, a 49% increase, compared to the market forecast of 111,501 units.

For the third quarter, the company projects deliveries of between 108,000 and 111,000 units, representing a 24.0% to 27.5% year-on-year increase, falling short of the 123,400 units expected by the market. Expected total revenue is projected between RMB 33.285 billion and RMB 34.051 billion, a 52.7% to 56.2% year-on-year increase, again below the RMB 35.58 billion market estimate.

Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance Turns Negative, New Car Orders Shore Up Performance

Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance delivered 42,101 new vehicles in August, down 5.6% from the 44,579 units delivered in the same period last year, making it the only brand in the top tier to see a year-on-year decline. Cumulative deliveries for the year so far have increased 10.8%, and total deliveries across the entire lineup have now surpassed 1.52 million units.

Looking at specific models, the Zhijie V9 has exceeded 20,000 cumulative deliveries, setting a record for the fastest delivery milestone in the RMB 500,000-class new energy MPV segment. The Wenjie M6, launched four months ago, has surpassed 45,000 cumulative deliveries. In terms of new model orders, the Xiangjie G9 received over 5,000 firm orders within 24 hours of its launch, while the Zunjie V800 and V680 combined for over 3,500 orders in the same timeframe.

Zeekr Doubles Deliveries, Xiaomi Stuck Around 30,000 Units

Zeekr delivered 36,981 vehicles in August, a year-on-year increase of 109.8%, setting another all-time high and achieving both month-on-month and year-on-year growth for seven consecutive months. From January to August, Zeekr delivered 251,000 vehicles, up 100.4% year-on-year.

In terms of portfolio structure, its shooting brake models have maintained monthly sales above 10,000 units for three consecutive months, with cumulative sales surpassing 400,000 units. The 7X has global orders exceeding 200,000 units and continued to sell over 10,000 units per month in August. The 9X is the best-selling model in its class above RMB 500,000 this year. The 009 has claimed the top spot in luxury MPV sales in Chinese Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Thailand markets. According to the plan, the 9X will begin international exports this month with accelerated delivery of its five-seat version, and Zeekr 9X Glory will be launched in the fourth quarter.

Xiaomi Auto delivered over 30,000 units in August, though the company did not disclose the exact figure. This marks the fifth consecutive month of deliveries exceeding 30,000 units. The company stated it is fully preparing for the launch and delivery of the Xiaomi Pengcheng.

According to Xiaomi Group's latest financial results, revenue from its electric vehicle and AI innovation business segment reached RMB 24.9 billion in the second quarter of this year, a 17.1% year-on-year increase. This includes RMB 23.9 billion from smart electric vehicles and RMB 1 billion from other related businesses. The segment reported an operating loss of RMB 2.6 billion with a gross margin of 19.2%.

Deepal, Voyah, and HuaJing: Second-Tier Brands Continue to Climb

Deepal Automobile achieved global sales of 28,659 units in August. From January to August, its cumulative global sales reached 222,028 units, an 11.77% year-on-year increase, with total cumulative global sales surpassing 947,600 units.

Voyah Automobile delivered 13,003 units in August, bringing its cumulative deliveries from January to August to 102,456 units, a 25% year-on-year increase.

HuaJing Automobile delivered 7,306 units in August, marking its fourth consecutive month of steady growth.

Traditional Automakers Show Divergence, Seres' Decline Deepens

BYD sold 440,293 new energy vehicles in August, up approximately 17.8% from the 373,626 units sold in the same period last year. This includes exports of 189,500 NEVs.

SAIC Motor sold a total of 357,007 vehicles in August, a 1.75% year-on-year decrease.

Chery Group sold 280,128 vehicles in August, up 15.4% year-on-year. Of these, NEV sales reached 120,909 units, surpassing the 100,000-unit mark for five consecutive months. Exports totaled 196,984 units, a 52.1% year-on-year increase, bringing its historical cumulative exports to 7.18 million units, making it the first Chinese automaker to exceed 7 million cumulative exports.

Geely Automobile sold 270,200 units in August, up approximately 8% year-on-year.

Great Wall Motor sold 113,400 vehicles in August, a 1.87% year-on-year decrease.

Seres sold 24,244 NEVs in August, down 43.96% year-on-year, while production reached 24,742 units, a 42.55% decline. Specifically, Seres brand vehicles sold 20,652 units, down 49.68% year-on-year. From January to August, cumulative production and sales were 229,700 and 227,300 units respectively, down 13.22% and 12.58% year-on-year.