DIGITAL & TRENDS

Electric vehicles in China

 Table of Contents

01 Overview Electric vehicle sales in China 2023, by OEM 21

Best-selling passenger electric vehicle models in China 2021 22
Electric vehicle index - leading countries worldwide 2021 03
Electric vehicle production forecast - selected countries 2023 04
04 Companies
Number of electric vehicles in use by country 2022 05
Electric vehicle market share in China 2018-2021 06 Major new energy passenger car companies in China 2022, based on sales volume 24

Electric car stock in China 2009-2023 07 Major passenger BEV brands in China 2021, based on sales volume 25

Plug-in electric vehicle sales growth worldwide by manufacturer 2021 08 Best-selling passenger BEV models in China 2021 26
Best-selling passenger PHEV models in China 2021 27

02 Trade SAIC Motor: revenue from alternative energy vehicles 2018-2021, by type 28
BYD Group: new energy car sales revenue 2020-2023, by type 29
Export value of electric passenger vehicles from China 2018-2023 10
Export volume of new energy cars from China 2017-2021 11
Export volume of new energy cars from China 2021, by country 12
Export volume of new energy cars from China 2020-2021, by type 13
Import volume of new energy cars from China 2017-2021 14
Number of new energy vehicles imported into China 2021, by country and type 15

03 Production and sales

Annual production of new energy vehicles in China 2013-2022, by propulsion type 17
Monthly new energy vehicle production in China 2021-2023, by type 18
Annual sales of new energy vehicles in China 2011-2023, by propulsion type 19
Monthly sales of new energy vehicles in China 2021-2023, by type 20

1
CHAPTER 01

Overview
 Leading countries in the field of electromobility according to the Electric
Vehicle Index in 2021
Electric vehicle index - leading countries worldwide 2021

Index score

Technology Industry Market

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14

China 2.9 5 4.3

Germany 2.2 3.3 5

France 1.8 1.1 5

U.S. 1.8 4.5 1.5

South Korea 3.4 1.7 1.8

Italy 0.9 0.3 3

Japan 1.9 1.6 0.2

3 Description: China and Germany are the countries at the forefront of the transition to electric mobility. China was the leading country for the technological development of electric vehicles, whereas Germany scored highest in terms of current customer demand. Read
more
Note(s): Worldwide; 2021
Source(s): Forschungsgesellschaft Kraftfahrwesen Aachen; Roland Berger
 Projected production of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric
vehicles in selected countries between 2018 and 2023 (in 1,000 units)
Electric vehicle production forecast - selected countries 2023

EV production in thousand units

0 2,000 4,000 6,000 8,000 10,000 12,000 14,000

China 13,008

Germany 4,408

United States 4,143

Country

Japan 1,509

France 1,306

South Korea 1,236

4 Description: China is projected to produce around 13 million battery electric vehicles (BEV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) by 2023, more than any other nation worldwide. China’s estimated production level is also anticipated to exceed the combined output
of other large markets, including the United States, Germany, and Japan. Read more
Note(s): Worldwide; as of March 2021
Source(s): Forschungsgesellschaft Kraftfahrwesen Aachen; Roland Berger
 Estimated number of plug-in electric vehicles in use in selected countries
as of 2022 (in 1,000 units)
Number of electric vehicles in use by country 2022

Number of electric vehicles in thousands

BEV PHEV

0 2,000 4,000 6,000 8,000 10,000 12,000 14,000 16,000

China

U.S.

Germany

France

UK

Norway

Netherlands

Japan

5 Description: In 2021, China's plug-in electric vehicle fleet reached around 14.1 million units. The second-ranked United States had approximately 2.96 million battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) in use that same year. Read more
Note(s): Worldwide; as of 2022
Source(s): IEA
 Market share of electric vehicles (BEVs and PHEVs) in China from 2018 to
2021
Electric vehicle market share in China 2018-2021

14% 13.3%

12%

10%
Market share

8%

6% 5.5%
4.8%
4.2%
4%

2%

0%
2018 2019 2020 2021

6 Description: As of 2021, electric vehicles accounted for almost 13.3 percent of the Chinese vehicle market. China is known as the biggest market for electric vehicles in the world. Read more
Note(s): China; 2018 to 2021
Source(s): EV-Volumes.com
 Total electric vehicle stock volume in China from 2009 to 2023 (in 1,000
units)
Electric car stock in China 2009-2023

25,000

20,410
Electric vehicle stock in thousand units

20,000

15,000
13,100

10,000
7,800

4,508.67
5,000
3,349.09
2,288.79
1,207.7
292.7 628.7
0.48 1.91 6.98 16.88 32.22 85.3
0
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023

7 Description: As of 2023, China had more than 20 million electric vehicles (EV) in use, representing a significant rise of more than seven million from the previous year. With the help of government incentives, China now has some of the world's most important EV
manufacturers and the largest EV market. Read more
Note(s): China; 2009 to 2023
Source(s): Ministry of Public Security China; People's Daily
 Global plug-in electric vehicle year-over-year sales growth in 2021, by
major manufacturer
Plug-in electric vehicle sales growth worldwide by manufacturer 2021

Sales growth
0% 50% 100% 150% 200% 250%

BYD
Stellantis
GM
SAIC
Toyota Motor Corp.
Tesla Inc.
VW Group
Geely-Volvo Car Group
Hyundai Motor
BMW Group
BAIC
Mercedes-Benz Group
Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance

8 Description: This statistic gives a breakdown of worldwide plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) year-over-year sales growth in 2021, by manufacturer, according to data provided by EV-Volumes. Tesla's electric vehicle sales grew by over 87 percent between 2020 and 2021.
Read more
Note(s): Worldwide; 2021
Source(s): EV-Volumes.com
CHAPTER 02

Trade
 Export value of electric vehicles for passengers from China from 2018 to
2023 (in billion U.S. dollars)
Export value of electric passenger vehicles from China 2018-2023

45
41.81

40

35
Export value in billion U.S. dollars

30

24.13
25

20

15
10.86
10

5 3.23
1.37
0.51
0
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023

10 Description: In 2023, China exported approximately 41.81 billion U.S. dollars worth of electric passenger vehicles, representing a rise of more than 16 billion U.S. dollars from the previous year. China exported more than 1.77 million electric passenger cars in 2023.
Read more
Note(s): China; 2018 to 2023
Source(s): China Customs
 China's export volume of new energy vehicles from 2017 to 2021 (in
1,000s)
Export volume of new energy cars from China 2017-2021

700

597.1
600
Export volume in thousand units

500

400

300
254.5
225.3

200
147
105.5
100

0
2017* 2018 2019 2020 2021

11 Description: In 2021, China exported a total of about 597,100 new energy vehicles, a significant increase of nearly 1.7 times compared to the previous year. In that year, about 3.5 million new energy vehicles were sold inside of China. Read more
Note(s): China; 2017 to 2021
Source(s): China Automobile Dealers Association
 Leading ten countries for China's new energy vehicle exports in 2021, by
export volume (in 1,000s)
Export volume of new energy cars from China 2021, by country

Export volume in thousand units

0 20 40 60 80 100 120

Belgium 106.4

Bangladesh 82.6

United Kingdom 54.8

India 48.9

Thailand 40.3

Germany 26.5

France 18.3

Slovenia 18.2

Australia 16

Philippines 11.9

12 Description: In 2021, China exported about 106,400 new energy vehicles to Belgium and 82,600 units to Bangladesh. In that year, China's total exports of new energy vehicles amounted to nearly 600,000 units. Read more
Note(s): China; 2021
Source(s): China Automobile Dealers Association
 China's export volume of new energy vehicles between 2020 and 2021, by
type (in 1,000s)
Export volume of new energy cars from China 2020-2021, by type

Battery electric vehicle (BEV) Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) Hybrid electric vehicle (HEV)
600
545.7

500
Export volume in thousand units

400

300

198.9
200

100
42.7
24.8
1.7 8.6
0
2020 2021

13 Description: In 2021, China exported a total of about 545,700 battery electric vehicles (BEVs), a significant increase of 1.7 times compared to the previous year. China's exports of plug-in electric vehicles (PHEVs) increased by about 72 percent year-on-year to 42,700
units in 2021. Read more
Note(s): China; 2020 to 2021
Source(s): China Automobile Dealers Association
 China's import volume of new energy vehicles from 2017 to 2021 (in
1,000s)
Import volume of new energy cars from China 2017-2021

180

158.6
160
139.8
140 130.2
Import volume in thousand units

120

100

78.5
80 69.3

60

40

20

0
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021

14 Description: In 2021, China imported around 139,800 new energy vehicles, an increase of seven percent over the previous year. By comparison, China's exports of new energy vehicles were significantly larger than its imports, which reached about 588,480 units in that
year. Read more
Note(s): China; 2017 to 2021
Source(s): China Automobile Dealers Association
 Top ten countries for China's new energy vehicle imports in 2021, by
propulsion type (in 1,000s)
Number of new energy vehicles imported into China 2021, by country and type

Imported cars in thousand units

Battery electric vehicle (BEV) Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) Hybrid electric vehicle (HEV)

0 20 40 60 80 100 120

Japan

USA

Germany

Slovakia

Sweden

United Kingdom

Belgium

France

15 Description: China mainly imported hybrid electric vehicles from Japan, reaching 106,365 units in 2021. In terms of plug-in hybrid electric vehicle imports, the United States and Slovakia are China's key partners, with about 9,000 and 7,300 imports in that year,
respectively. Germany is so far China's largest importer of battery electric vehicles, with nearly 5,000 units imported in 2021. Read more
Note(s): China; 2021
Source(s): China Automobile Dealers Association
CHAPTER 03

Production and sales

 Annual production volume of new energy vehicles in China from 2013 to
2022, by propulsion type
Annual production of new energy vehicles in China 2013-2022, by propulsion type

Battery electric vehicles Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles Fuel-cell vehicle

8,000,000

7,000,000

6,000,000
Number of units

5,000,000

4,000,000

3,000,000

2,000,000

1,000,000

0
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020* 2021 2022

17 Description: In 2022, China produced around 5.47 million battery electric vehicles, an increase of 85.8 percent compared to 2020. In the same year, around 1.59 million plug-in hybrid cars were produced in China, an increase of 164.2 percent compared to the previous
year. Read more
Note(s): China; 2013 to 2021; includes both passenger cars and commercial vehicles.; *The figure for 2020 was restated. Figures from 2013 to 2021 were retrieved from previous reports. Figures were calculated by Statista based on data provided [...] Read more
Source(s): CAAM; Statista
 Monthly new energy vehicle production in China from January 2021 to
August 2023, by type
Monthly new energy vehicle production in China 2021-2023, by type

Passenger BEVs Passenger PHEVs Commercial BEVs Commercial PHEVs

900,000

800,000

700,000

600,000
Number of units

500,000

400,000

300,000

200,000

100,000

0
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug
'21 '21 '21 '21 '21 '21 '21 '21 '21 '21 '21 '21 '22 '22 '22 '22 '22 '22 '22 '22 '22 '22 '22 '22 '23 '23 '23 '23 '23 '23 '23 '23

18 Description: In August 2023, a total of 589,000 battery electric vehicles (BEVs) were produced in China, of which 551,000 were passenger BEVs and 38,000 were commercial BEVs. In the same month, a total of 254,000 plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) were
produced in China, of which 253,000 were passenger PHEVs and 1,000 were commercial PHEVs. Read more
Note(s): January 2021 to August 2023
Source(s): CAAM
 Annual sales volume of new energy vehicles in China from 2011 to 2023,
by propulsion type
Annual sales of new energy vehicles in China 2011-2023, by propulsion type

Battery electric vehicles Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles Fuel-cell vehicle

10,000,000

9,000,000

8,000,000
Number of vehicles sold

7,000,000

6,000,000

5,000,000

4,000,000

3,000,000

2,000,000

1,000,000

0
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023

19 Description: In 2023, around 6.69 million battery-electric vehicles were sold in China, representing an increase of 24.63 percent from the previous year. In the same year, about 2.8 million plug-in hybrid vehicles were sold in the country. Read more
Note(s): China; 2011 to 2023; includes both passenger cars and commercial vehicles
Source(s): CAAM; Statista
 Monthly sales volume of new energy vehicles in China from January 2021
to August 2023, by type
Monthly sales of new energy vehicles in China 2021-2023, by type

Passenger BEVs Passenger PHEVs Commercial BEVs Commercial PHEVs

900,000

800,000

700,000

600,000
Number of units

500,000

400,000

300,000

200,000

100,000

0
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug
'21 '21 '21 '21 '21 '21 '21 '21 '21 '21 '21 '21 '22 '22 '22 '22 '22 '22 '22 '22 '22 '22 '22 '22 '23 '23 '23 '23 '23 '23 '23 '23

20 Description: In August 2023, China's new energy vehicle sales amounted to 846,000 units, of which 808,000 were passenger electric vehicles and 39,000 were commercial electric vehicles. Sales of passenger battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and passenger plug-in hybrid
electric vehicles (PHEVs) were 559,000 and 248,000 units respectively. Read more
Note(s): China; January 2021 to August 2023
Source(s): CAAM
 New energy vehicle sales across China in 2023, by leading original
equipment manufacturer (OEM)
Electric vehicle sales in China 2023, by OEM

Vehicle sales
0 500,000 1,000,000 1,500,000 2,000,000 2,500,000 3,000,000

BYD 2,389,404

Tesla Inc. 611,245

GAC Aion 442,564

GM-Wuling 423,447

Li Auto 377,260

Changan Automobile 195,623

Volkswagen 188,939

NIO 159,900

Xpeng 133,562

Geely 132,030

21 Description: Climate change has been a global matter of concern for some time now. While some countries debate the existence of this issue, others are rapidly working towards turning the clock back and saving the planet. One of the solutions to countering the
emission of greenhouse gases and the depletion of the ozone layer has been the development of electric vehicles. In 2023, BYD sold nearly 2.39 million electric vehicles in China. Global EV production and sales Back in 2020, the global market for [...] Read more
Note(s): China; 2023
Source(s): OFweek
 Top ten passenger electric vehicle models in China in 2021, based on sales
volume (in 1,000s)
Best-selling passenger electric vehicle models in China 2021

Sales in thousands
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450

Wuling Hong Guang Mini EV 395.45

Tesla Model Y 169.85

Tesla Model 3 150.89

BYD Qin PLUS DM-i 110.97

Li Xiang One EREV 90.49

BYD Han EV 87.08

Chery eQ 76.99

BYD Song DM 76.38

Changan Benben EV 76.38

GAC Aion S 69.22

22 Description: In 2021, Wuling Hongguang Mini EV ranked as the best-selling passenger electric vehicle model in China, with sales of nearly 400,000 units. With many cities imposing restrictions on the registration of combustion engine cars, buying an electric car had
become a viable alternative for many Chinese consumers. Read more
Note(s): China; 2021
Source(s): evhui.com; Sina.com.cn
CHAPTER 04

Companies
 Top fifteen new energy passenger car companies in China in 2022, based
on sales volume (in 1,000 units)
Major new energy passenger car companies in China 2022, based on sales volume

Sales volume in thousand units

0 200 400 600 800 1,000 1,200 1,400 1,600 1,800 2,000

BYD Auto 1,799.95

SAIC-GM-Wuling (SGMW) 442.12

Tesla 439.77

Geely 304.91

GAC AION 273.76

Chery 221.16

Changan 212.28

Nezha 148.66

Li Auto 133.25

Great Wall Motors 123.92

NIO 122.49

Xpeng 120.76

Leapmotor 111.17

FAW-Volkswagen 99.76

SAIC-Volkswagen 91.76

24 Description: In 2021, BYD Auto was the leading new energy passenger vehicle company in China with around 1.8 million units sold, representing an increase of around 208 percent over the previous year. This was followed by SAIC-GM-Wuling (SGMW) which sold more
than 442,000 units that year. Read more
Note(s): China; 2022
Source(s): autohome.com.cn
 Most popular passenger battery electric vehicle (BEV) companies in China
in 2021, based on sales volume (in 1,000 units)
Major passenger BEV brands in China 2021, based on sales volume

Sales volume in thousand units

0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450

SAIC-GM-Wuling 424.35

Tesla 311.83

BYD 296.76

Great Wall Motor 132.96

GAC 122.34

Changan 101.25

Xpeng 96.57

NIO 90.87

Chery 85.62

SAIC-Passenger Automobile Branch 84.5

25 Description: In 2021, SAIC-GM-Wuling (SGMW) was the leading passenger battery electric vehicle (BEV) company in the Chinese market, with around 424,400 units of car sales. This was followed by Tesla which sold more than 311,800 BEVs in China that year. Read
more
Note(s): China; 2021
Source(s): Sina.com.cn
 Top 15 passenger battery electric vehicle (BEV) models in China in 2021,
based on sales volume (in 1,000s)
Best-selling passenger BEV models in China 2021

Sales in thousands
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450

Wuling Hong Guang Mini EV 395.45

Tesla Model Y 169.85

Tesla Model 3 150.89

BYD Han EV 87.08

Chery eQ 76.99

Changan Benben EV 76.38

GAC Aion S 69.22

ORA black cat 63.49

Xpeng P7 60.57

BYD Qin Plus EV 55.25

ORA good cat 49.9

Hozon Neta V 49.65

SAIC CLEVER 46

Xpeng G3 42.9

NIO ES6 41.47

26 Description: In 2021, Wuling Hong Guang Mini EV became the best-selling passenger battery electric vehicle (BEV) model in China, with sales approaching 400,000 units. This model was also the top seller among all passenger electric vehicle models in China that year.
Read more
Note(s): China; 2021
Source(s): evhui.com; Sina.com.cn
 Top fifteen passenger plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) models in
China in 2021, based on sales volume (in 1,000s)
Best-selling passenger PHEV models in China 2021

Sales volume in thousands

0 20 40 60 80 100 120

BYD Qin PLUS DM-i 110.97

Li Xiang One 90.49

BYD Song DM 76.38

BYD Tang DM 46.78

BYD Han DM 30.24

BMW 5 Series PHEV 23.47

SAIC Roewe eRX5 15.16

VW Passat PHEV 14.9

SAIC Roewe ei6 11.23

Honda CR-V PHEV 11.22

FAW-VW Magotan GTE PHEV 10.06

FAW-VW Tanyue GTE PHEV 9.38

SERES SF5 8.17

VW Tiguan PHEV 8.04

27 Description: In 2021, BYD Qin PLUS DM-i was the best-selling plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) model in China, with sales of 110,970 units. It was followed by the Li Xiang One and BYD Song DM with sales of around 90,490 and 76,380 units respectively. Read more
Note(s): China; 2021
Source(s): evhui.com; Sina.com.cn
 Revenue of the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC Motor)
from electric vehicles from 2018 to 2021, by vehicle type (in billion yuan)
SAIC Motor: revenue from alternative energy vehicles 2018-2021, by type

Passenger vehicles Commercial vehicles

50

45
2.95
40

35
Revenue in billion yuan

30
1.71
25
1.35
20 42.13

15 2.63
25.74
10 21.62
13.93
5

0
2018 2019 2020 2021

28 Description: In 2021, the Chinese automaker Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC Motor) recorded revenues of about 42 billion yuan from new energy passenger vehicles, a twofold increase from the previous year. Read more
Note(s): China; 2018 to 2021
Source(s): Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation; Sina.com.cn
 Sales revenue of BYD Group's new energy vehicles between 2020 and
2023, by type (in billion yuan)
BYD Group: new energy car sales revenue 2020-2023, by type

Passenger cars Commercial vehicles

450
406.63
400

350
Sales revenue in billion yuan

300 272.23

250

200

150

100 79.42

50 24.37
6.97 6.61 7.87 6.07
0
2020 2021 2022 2023

29 Description: In 2023, China's BYD Group generated more than 406 billion yuan in sales revenue from new energy passenger vehicles, representing an increase of 49 percent from the previous year. In that year, BYD's sales revenue from new energy commercial
vehicles was about 6.07 billion yuan, representing a drop of almost 30 percent compared to the previous year. Read more
Note(s): China; 2020 to 2023
Source(s): BYD Company; cninfo.com.cn
 Sources

autohome.com.cn
BYD Company
CAAM
China Automobile Dealers Association
China Customs
cninfo.com.cn
evhui.com
EV-Volumes.com
Forschungsgesellschaft Kraftfahrwesen Aachen
IEA
Ministry of Public Security China
OFweek
People's Daily
Roland Berger
Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation
Sina.com.cn
Statista

30