Hong Kong-listed automotive stocks continued their recent upward trend. At the time of writing, LEAPMOTOR (09863) rose 6.1% to HK$47.28, GEELY AUTO (00175) increased 4.44% to HK$18.82, LI AUTO-W (02015) advanced 3.86% to HK$72.6, and XPENG-W (09868) gained 3.19% to HK$80.75. The momentum follows the recent release of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology's 405th batch of new vehicle applications. The list includes several major new models from various automakers, such as the BYD Seal 08, BYD Tang DM-i/DM-p, the new AITO M9, the Shangjie Z7/Z7T, the LEAPMOTOR D99/A05, the new Tank 300 Hi4-T/Hi4-Z, and the MG 4X. The upcoming launch of these competitively positioned new vehicles is expected to help catalyze further release of pent-up demand in the auto market. Guojin Securities noted that domestic sales faced pressure in the first two months of 2026. However, with vehicle trade-in programs now largely operational across provinces, some demand previously withheld due to policy uncertainty is expected to be gradually released. Coupled with the sales boost from new model launches by various automakers, the sales growth rate is anticipated to see a marginal recovery starting in March.