Beijing Motor Show Auto China 2026: BYD group - BYD
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Beijing Motor Show Auto China 2026: BYD group - BYD
Vehicle shown
- BEV SUV / E-segment
- Expected annual volumes: China: between 30,000 and 50,000 units per year
- Competitor: Nio ES8 and Onvo L90
Context
- BYD, the number 1 in the Chinese market in 2023, 2024 and 2025 (more than 4 million sales per year), was unexpectedly overtaken by Geely in the first three months of 2026.
- BYD did not want to follow the fierce price war provoked by its competitors, which caused a decline in its sales in 2026, aggravated by the reduction of Chinese government subsidies for BEVs.
- To boost its sales, BYD is expected to present several new products at the Beijing Motor Show 2026, including the new Sealion 08 SUV which will crown the brand's SUV range.
- This large, all-electric SUV is expected to measure over 5 meters long with a wheelbase of over 3 meters, and will likely offer a three-row seating configuration.
- The Sealion 08 is expected to be equipped with BYD's second-generation Blade battery and will support the company's latest ultra-fast charging technology.
Beijing Motor Show Auto China 2026 summary: the world's largest trade fair – a showcase for Chinese carmakers
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Beijing Motor Show Auto China 2026 summary: the world's largest trade fair – a showcase for Chinese carmakers
- The Beijing Motor Show 2026 has become the world's largest auto show.
- The 2026 Beijing Auto Show is primarily a showcase for Chinese automakers, who exhibit their latest models and technologies. Foreign carmakers, in decline for several years, are relegated to a small portion of the show, even though the Volkswagen Group makes a special effort to promote all its new models, many of which are developed in partnership with Chinese carmakers. Foreign automakers now face a fight for their survival.
- The 2026 Beijing Auto Show features many new vehicles, most of which are electric or PHEVs , with a few REEVs (range-extended hybrids). There are virtually no new models with internal combustion engines, as this type of powertrain is gradually being abandoned by Chinese consumers and, more importantly, by the Chinese government, which prefers to encourage the Chinese population to buy BEVs, PHEVs, F-HEVs, and REEVs. The BEV, PHEV, F-HEV, and REEV market currently accounts for 50% of total sales, compared to 48% in 2025.
- The Beijing Motor Show 2026 showcases many new sedans and many new SUVs, as well as several new minivans, but it seems that SUVs are the most favored , thus responding to the Chinese market where SUVs held 59% of the total passenger car market in the first quarter of 2026 compared to 54% in 2025.
Exports from China to Europe have surpassed exports from Europe to China
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Exports from China to Europe have surpassed exports from Europe to China
- Chinese car exports to the European Union have surpassed European car exports to China. This trend is evident in 2025, as EU car exports to China fell by 34% to €16 billion, compared to €24.2 billion in 2024, while Chinese car exports to the EU rose by 8% to €22 billion, up from €20.4 billion. Consequently, the EU recorded a trade deficit of €6 billion in 2025, compared to a surplus of €3.8 billion in 2024.
- But in fact, in terms of volume, Chinese car imports to the European Union surpassed European car exports to China as early as 2024 , reaching 455,000 units that year (compared to 350,000 in 2023), while the EU exported only 300,000 to China. By 2025, China had exported 620,000 cars to the EU.
- This distortion between value and volume is due to the fact that cars exported from China to the EU represent less in value than cars exported from the EU to China at the same volume, given that Chinese cars exported to Europe are mid-range and mid-priced while cars exported from the EU to China (often German) are high-end and high-priced (Mercedes, BMW, Audi, Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati).
- It should be noted that of the 620,000 cars exported from China to the EU in 2025, 116,000 will be European or American brands (compared to 182,000 in 2024) and 504,000 will be Chinese brands (compared to 273,000 in 2024). The number of European or American cars exported from China to the EU is trending downward.
BEVs represent 28% of the Chinese market in 2025
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BEVs represent 28% of the Chinese market in 2025
- The market share of BEVs in China (passenger cars) reached 28% for the whole of this year, compared to 26% for the whole of 2024.
- BEV sales growth in China has been constant and steady since 2020, with their market share increasing from 21% in 2022 to 24% in 2023, 26% in 2024, and 28% in 2025. At this rate, this market share could represent 30% of the Chinese market by 2026, as no one expects BEV sales to accelerate in 2026 despite an increasingly wide range of offerings and a price war that makes BEVs cheaper to buy.
- At the same time, this price war could force some smaller BEV carmakers to throw in the towel and reduce their offerings to some extent. It is primarily the reduction in subsidies and other tax incentives that risks limiting the growth of BEV sales in China in 2026.
- Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) appear to have halted their spectacular sales growth, as they accounted for 19% of the Chinese market in 2025, the same as in 2024, whereas 2024 had marked a clear take-off in PHEV sales compared to 2022 and 2023, with their market share not exceeding 11% of the Chinese market in 2023 and only 7% in 2022.
- Non-rechargeable hybrids (F-HEV) bring up the rear, with a market share of 4% in 2025, a slight increase compared to previous years which recorded a market share of 3%.
Chery, BYD, SAIC and Geely remain the largest Chinese car exporters in 2025
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Chery, BYD, SAIC and Geely remain the largest Chinese car exporters in 2025
- Passenger car production in China reached 30,269,903 units in 2025, compared to 27,476,886 in 2024, representing a 10.2% increase. Global deliveries reached 30,103,140 units in 2025, compared to 27,562,989 in 2024, a 9.2% increase. Consequently, 166,763 units were added to inventory in 2025, while 86,103 units were removed from inventory in 2024, resulting in a net increase of 80,660 units over the two-year period.
- Exports from China amounted to 6,037,959 units in 2025 compared to 4,955,134 in 2024, thus increasing by more than one million units year on year (+21.9%).
- Local registrations thus totaled 24,065,181 units in 2025, excluding imports, compared to 22,607,855 in 2024, representing a 6.4% increase. This figure clearly reflects the trend in the Chinese market, where imports now account for only a tiny fraction of total sales. Trade tensions and Chinese industrial policies have strengthened local production, gradually reducing imported volumes. This means that the share of automobiles in total imports has decreased significantly compared to previous years.
- Of the 6,037,959 cars exported from China in 2025, four Chinese exporters stand out from their competitors : Chery (1.3 million cars exported in 2025), BYD (1 million units exported), SAIC (0.9 million units exported) and Geely (0.6 million units exported) accounted for 3.8 million units exported, or two-thirds of Chinese exports.
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