In May 2026, China’s major electric vehicle manufacturers reported robust global delivery figures, highlighting both established leaders and rising challengers in the New Energy Vehicle (NEV) segment.
BYD led the industry with 376,990 passenger NEVs delivered worldwide. After eight consecutive months of year-over-year declines, the company’s May deliveries inched ahead of last year’s total by 60 units, effectively ending its sales contraction. BYD’s premium Fang Cheng Bao sub-brand performed especially well, logging 30,186 units sold—a 139.7% increase compared with May 2025. Following BYD, SAIC and Geely also posted strong results. Geely’s overall NEV deliveries reached 133,355 units, marking a 3.4% decrease year-over-year, while its premium electric marque, Zeekr, set a new single-month record with 34,377 units—a rise of 81.8% compared to May of the prior year. Chery Group surpassed the 100,000-unit threshold for the second consecutive month, delivering 100,304 NEVs.
Among China’s NEV startups, Leapmotor continued its rapid growth trajectory, delivering 81,569 vehicles in May—a year-over-year increase of 81.0% and its highest monthly total to date. Zeekr, backed by Geely, also achieved an all-time high in May deliveries, underscoring the momentum among newer industry entrants.
Other notable performers included Li Auto, which delivered 33,350 units (down 18.4% year-over-year), and Xpeng, whose deliveries declined by 4.1% to 32,158 units. Nio reported 37,705 global deliveries, up 62.4% from May 2025; its core brand delivered 20,013 units, the Onvo sub-brand added 12,029 (up 91.5%), and the Firefly series contributed 5,663 vehicles (up 53.9%). Tech-driven entrants also made an impact: Xiaomi delivered just over 30,000 EVs, and Huawei’s Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance (HIMA) shipped 46,122 units. Among traditional automakers transitioning to electrification, GWM sold 30,447 NEVs, while Changan posted 92,400 deliveries—its Deepal brand up 30.3% at 33,243 units, and Avatr down 42.5% at 7,336 units.
Source: CarNewsChina
