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A Xiaomi store in Shanghai, China, on March 16, 2025.
Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers Xiaomi, Xpeng, and Leapmotor each reported delivering around 30,000 cars or more in March, significantly outpacing several other startup competitors. This trend illustrates how some players in the automotive industry are gaining traction, although BYD continues to dominate the market.
Xiaomi disclosed that it achieved a record in electric vehicle deliveries for March, surpassing 29,000 units, according to a post on social media. This marked an increase from the company’s earlier performance of over 20,000 vehicles delivered monthly over the previous five months.
Tragically, their flagship model, the SU7, was involved in a fatal accident on a highway, resulting in three fatalities. On Tuesday, Xiaomi provided a statement on Chinese social media, indicating that the vehicle was operating in autopilot mode under navigation when the incident occurred. Preliminary investigations suggest that road construction obstructed traffic, leading the driver to take manual control before a collision with construction barriers. Xiaomi confirmed that an investigation is currently underway.
This incident followed Xiaomi’s recent announcement from March 18, where it set an ambitious target to deliver 350,000 vehicles within the year. Additionally, there are plans for expanding its second electric vehicle manufacturing facility in Beijing to accommodate increasing demand, as reported by Bloomberg on March 18. Xiaomi has not yet responded to inquiries from media sources.
Meanwhile, Xpeng reported delivering 33,205 vehicles in March, continuing its streak of over 30,000 units delivered for five consecutive months, reflecting a striking 268% increase compared to the same month last year. Additionally, it marked the fifth consecutive month that the company delivered more than 15,000 units of its Mona M03 model.
Leapmotor also saw remarkable growth, delivering 37,095 vehicles in March—up 154% year-over-year. The Stellantis-affiliated manufacturer launched its sales in the U.K. for two new electric vehicle models, the T03 and the C10, in March.
Li Auto reported 36,674 vehicles delivered in March, representing a year-over-year increase of 26.5%, albeit lower than its monthly totals in the latter half of 2024. The company’s vehicles have appealed to Chinese consumers largely due to their unique advantage of including a fuel tank that assists in charging the vehicle’s battery, thereby alleviating range anxiety.
In a notable achievement, BYD sold 371,419 passenger vehicles in March, marking a year-over-year increase of 57.9%. Its international sales also reached a new high, with 72,723 units sold abroad in the same month.
In March, BYD introduced its “Super e-Platform” technology, which promises a range of approximately 400 kilometers (around 249 miles) with just five minutes of charging. Moreover, the company had previously announced in February its integration of DeepSeek artificial intelligence technology to enhance its advanced driver-assistance systems, branded as “DiPilot.”
Across the electric vehicle market in China, leading manufacturers reported a rise in deliveries, signaling a resurgence in consumer demand following the typically sluggish first two months of the year.
In contrast, U.S. carmaker Tesla recorded 78,828 electric vehicles sold in China in March, representing a decline of 11.5% year-over-year.
Other Chinese manufacturers also experienced growth but faced challenges breaking the 20,000-unit delivery threshold. Nio reported delivering 15,039 vehicles in March, an increase of 26.7% year-over-year, though it was significantly below the delivery figures from May to December of the previous year. Nio’s subsidiary, Onvo, marketed as a family-friendly EV option, also reported identical figures in March.
Zeekr, a brand owned by Geely, delivered 15,422 vehicles in March, reflecting an 18.5% year-over-year increase. Last month, Zeekr announced it would offer free advanced driver-assistance technology to local customers to strengthen its competitive position in the market.
Aito has yet to release its March delivery statistics. The automaker, which integrates technology from Huawei, reported monthly deliveries of 34,987 in January and 21,517 in February on social media.
Quarterly performance
For the first quarter, BYD maintained its leadership with a total of 986,098 vehicles sold. The automaker, which surpassed Tesla in annual sales last year, outperformed the U.S. EV giant in battery electric vehicle sales during this quarter as well.
Tesla reported 172,754 vehicle sales in China for the first quarter, according to data released by the China Passenger Car Association.
Xpeng also showed impressive growth, delivering a total of 94,008 vehicles in the quarter ending in March, marking a substantial 331% year-over-year increase.
Leapmotor experienced more than a doubling of its quarterly deliveries, reaching 87,552 units compared to 33,410 in the same period last year, based on publicly accessible data.
Conversely, Li Auto and Nio encountered slower growth rates compared to some of their competitors in the first quarter. Nio delivered 42,094 vehicles during the first three months of 2025, achieving a 40.1% year-over-year increase. Meanwhile, Li Auto’s year-over-year growth was more subdued at 15.5%, with total deliveries reaching 92,864 vehicles.
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