Leapmotor continues to lead the pack. September truly lived up to the "Golden September" reputation, with new energy vehicle companies showing impressive growth across the board last month. However, automakers don't sell cars for just one month - we should focus more on whether their monthly performance can help them sell more vehicles or influence their future development.
Let's take a detailed look at the specifics.
Leapmotor delivered 66,657 units across all models in September, breaking through the 60,000-unit milestone for the first time and setting a new delivery record among new forces. In September, Leapmotor showcased its personalized strategic new product, the Leapmotor Lafa 5, at the Munich Motor Show. The flagship SUV model D19 is also set to debut on October 16th, demonstrating that Leapmotor's operational system and product portfolio are becoming increasingly comprehensive. Additionally, Leapmotor plans to complete construction of its European production base by 2026, with its overseas expansion already taking the lead. Therefore, Leapmotor should continue to lead among the new forces going forward.
XPENG achieved a delivery volume of 41,581 units in September, also setting a historical high. On September 15th, XPENG announced deep cooperation with Magna's factory in Graz, Austria, leveraging their production lines to advance European localization production. Moving forward, with the three pillars of MONA M03, XPENG P7+, and the all-new XPENG P7, maintaining current sales levels shouldn't be difficult for XPENG. For further growth, it depends on overseas market progress and production capacity planning for the all-new XPENG P7.
Xiaomi's delivery volume exceeded 40,000 units in September as production capacity improved. Previously, we noted that Xiaomi's current sales data lacks significant reference value, as it only reflects how much production capacity has increased. However, perhaps due to the rush to meet production schedules, many YU7 users have reported vehicle noise issues. When automakers encounter such negative situations, it presents both crisis and opportunity. Currently, Xiaomi maintains a silent stance, which doesn't seem to be an appropriate approach.
NIO delivered 34,749 new vehicles in September, including 13,728 units under the NIO brand, 15,246 units under the ONVO brand, and 5,775 units under the Firefly brand. From the sales structure perspective, NIO has found its footing, and ONVO's sales proportion should reach around 50% going forward, so NIO still has upward potential. However, I believe it's somewhat difficult for NIO to break through 40,000 units at this stage, as this year's upgrades to NIO's 5 and 6 series products haven't been substantial, and the market potential for these segments hasn't been fully released.
Li Auto's sales finally rebounded, delivering 33,951 new vehicles in September. Li Auto's predicament lies in its range-extended products being surrounded by competition from Leapmotor, HarmonyOS Intelligent Mobility, and other domestic brands, while its pure electric transformation has faced consecutive setbacks. However, I believe this situation may see some changes in October. At the end of September, Li Auto launched the pure electric five-seat SUV Li Auto i6, with a starting price of 249,800 yuan and many features designed for today's young consumers, which should provide strong market competitiveness. While it may not be a lifeline, the Li Auto i6 is definitely a significant boost for the Li Auto brand.
The "Golden September" saw universal gains among new forces, so who do you favor more for "Silver October"?