Workers assemble a new-energy vehicle at a manufacturing plant in Shijiazhuang, North China's Hebei Province, on December 24, 2025. From January to November this year, China's automobile production reached 31.231 million units, up 11.9 percent year-on-year, and sales reached 31.127 million units, up 11.4 percent year-on-year, according to official data. Photo: VCG

China's new-energy vehicle (NEV) market experienced a seasonal sales dip in February, but robust export growth provided a crucial stabilizing force, underscoring the industry's resilience amid domestic market fluctuations, an industry observer said.

Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD's February sales plunged by 41.1 percent year-on-year, the sixth consecutive monthly decline, according to a stock market filing on Sunday. 

The fall last month was the biggest since February 2020 when the economy was hit by the pandemic, according to Reuters. 

BYD announced that its passenger vehicle sales in February reached 187,782 units, comprising 79,539 all-electric and 108,243 plug-in hybrid vehicles. 

Meanwhile, the company's exports exceeded expectations, with 100,600 NEVs shipped overseas during the month.

"The data exceeded expectations," Cui Dongshu, secretary-general of the China Passenger Car Association, told the Global Times on Sunday, explaining that China's exports stabilized the market, with overseas demand playing a crucial role in supporting February sales. 

As automakers navigate the transition from February's seasonal low, the combination of resilient domestic demand and surging overseas shipments points to sustained vitality in China's NEV sector — proving that while monthly figures may fluctuate, the industry's growth trajectory remains firmly intact.

NIO, for instance, recorded a 57.6 percent year-on-year surge in February deliveries. Zeekr also demonstrated a robust performance with 23,867 units sold, up 70 percent year-on-year. 

Industry observers noted that the temporary dip does not signal a weakening of the sector's fundamentals. On the contrary, diversified product portfolios and expanding overseas footprints continue to reinforce long-term growth trajectories.

SAIC Motor reported a cumulative 6.76 percent increase in total sales for the first two months of the year, with NEV sales rising 6.44 percent. More notably, its exports and overseas sales surged 48.92 percent year-on-year, highlighting the growing global competitiveness of Chinese NEV brands.

China's automobile production and sales both exceeded 34 million units last year, setting a new record high, the Xinhua News Agency reported in January, citing data from China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM).

Total auto output reached 34.531 million units last year, up 10.4 percent compared with the 2024 level, while sales rose 9.4 percent year-on-year to 34.4 million units.

The NEVs accelerated their growth momentum, with production and sales totaling 16.626 million and 16.49 million units, respectively, marking respective year-on-year increases of 29 percent and 28.2 percent, and maintaining the top position in the world for 11 straight years, the CAAM confirmed.  


Global Times