BYD Tang #1 in
Record Month
After a few months threatening to break the all-time
record (102,635 units, set last December), the Chinese PEV market finally hit a
new high, with some 104,900 units being registered in September, up 66%, in
line with the previous months growth rates.
In a falling mainstream market (-12% YoY), the
continued growth of the plugin market means that the PEV share hit a new
all-time best, ending the month with 5.2%, while the 2018 share rose to 3.3%
share, a new record and well above the 2.1% of 2017, with sales expected to continue
growing as the year advances, the 2018 PEV share could end North of the 3%
4% threshold, with December possibly reaching 7%.
With symbolic export numbers, the domestic market is
more than enough to absorb the current Chinese production, helped by the fact
that it is still a protected market and foreign OEMs hadn’t yet looked
seriously at this niche, but with PEV quotas to be fulfilled in the near
future, foreign brands starting to put an effort, although their share is just 6%,
due the sharp decrease of Tesla (-84% YoY). Of this (small) cake, 2% still belong
to Tesla, and 2% to BMW, with the remaining manufacturers sharing the final 2%.
In September, the headlining news were the hot BYD Tang PHEV winning its second consecutive monthly Best Seller award, while the BYD Yuan EV climbed to the podium, almost allowing a 1-2 win for the carmaker. Maybe in October?
Here’s September
Top 5 Best Selling models individual performance:
#1 – BYD Tang PHEV: After five months on the market, the second-generation Tang confirmed its hot selling status, winning its second consecutive Best Seller award, with last month performance beating the nameplate sales record, by registering 6,019 registrations. Sales should continue strong for BYD’s successful flagship, and new record sales could still be achieved this year, at least until the BEV version of the Tang arrives, by December. As for the current Tang PHEV specs, BYD’s Sports SUV saw the battery grow to 24 kWh, originating an increased 100 kms range / 62 mi NEDC (around 70 kms / 44 mi real world), while on the power department, things stayed the same, with some 500 hp and 0-100 kms/h in less than 5 secs. All for CNY 279,800 / $40,816.
#2 – Chery
eQ: Chery was
one of the Chinese brands to bet early in plug-ins, having won the models title
three times in a row (2011, ’12, ’13), with its tiny QQ3 EV, now the automaker
is trying to regain relevance with the eQ, the spiritual (and material)
successor to the QQ3, having registered 5,310 units in last month (new year best), allowing it to
collect another runner-up position. A vehicle marketed to city dwellers, for
USD 24,000 before incentives, you get a funky city EV, with the 22.3kWh battery
providing just enough range (200 kms / 125 miles NEDC), to cover the needs of
the urban jungle (And the subsidies requirements).
#3 – BYD Yuan EV: We all knew that BYD’s new Baby Crossover was destined for success,
and with 5,008 deliveries in September
in only its fourth month on the market, BYD’s new baby is living up to expectations. Are we witnessing the rise
of the 2019 Best Selling model? I guess it will depend more on BYD’s
ability/willingness to make them in volume (the Tang is more profitable), than
actual demand, sitting on the vortex of the two fastest selling segments
(Compact Crossovers and EVs), and with unrivalled specs (42 kWh battery, 305
kms/190 mi NEDC range, 174 hp motor), and price (25,000 USD), BYD might have
found in this new model its star player, crowning what it is already a strong
lineup.
#4 – Hawtai
EV160: The Inner
Mongolian automaker bread and butter city
EV narrowly escaped the subsidies cut early this Summer, by presenting 5 kms
more range (155 kms NEDC) than the subsidy minimum (150 kms), thanks to a 21kWh
battery, and sales have reflected this, with its numbers benefitting from the
reduced competition, as the little EV hit a record 4,780 units in September. With basic specs (41hp lawnmower motor…)
and design, Hawtai bets on a bargain-basement price (CNY 102,800 / $14,812), in
order to allure car-sharing and other fleet buying companies.
#5 – JAC iEV S/E: JAC was
one of the EV pioneers in China, selling plug-ins since 2010, and now it’s back
at the game, registering 4,621 units last month. With a
competitive price of USD 26,000 before incentives, this is a vehicle targeted
at trendy urbanites that for some reason can’t reach a BYD Song or Roewe’s
eRX5, getting in return a good-looking compact vehicle (Kia Soul-sized), with
just enough power and range (114 hp & 251 kms/156 mi) to not to make it
look bad. Interestingly, the word on the street is that JAC has export
ambitions…
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| The Nio ES8 |
2018 ranking
In a record
month, there weren’t significant changes, the most important being the Hawtai
EV160 jumping 3 spots to #10, confirming the good moment of the Inner Mongolia
brand.
The
remaining changes benefitted BYD’s new babies, with the new Tang PHEV climbing
to #14, while its smaller sibling, the Yuan EV, is now #16. If the first model
has its eyes on a Top 10 spot, the second can also dream of it, which would
make 5(!) BYD’s in the Top 10…
Another
model shining last month was the #15 BAIC EU-Series, that made its best result
in the last 23 months, thanks to 4,138 units.
Outside the
Top 20, a lot is going on, on the large sedan class, the BMW 530e registered a
record 2,216(!) units, with the Chinese market now being the largest market for
the luxury sedan, profiting from the tariff war between China and the USA, that
crippled the former class leader, the Tesla Model S. (“Vielen Dank, Donald!” – said
an unnamed BMW manager).
The Nio ES8 continues
with the gradual production ramp up (1,766 registrations last month) and was
once again the Best-Selling Luxury SUV last month, with the Tesla Model X
delivering less than 200 units, the new startup model has now a shot at
removing Tesla from the yearly category leadership, so it will be interesting
to see how this works out.
Another
model on the rise is the recently arrived Geely Emgrand GSe EV (1,913 units)
compact crossover, that is looking to catch up the class leaders (BYD Song PHEV
and Roewe eRX5) next year.
Looking at
the manufacturers ranking, BYD (19%) is a comfortable leader, thanks to the new
Tang and Yuan, while the runner-up BAIC (13%), is waiting impatiently for the
EC-Series to its get production in full swing, and in Third Place, the Shanghai-based
Roewe (11%) holds the last place of the podium, with a significant advantage
over the #4, Chery (6% share).
