On September 8, the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) released its latest monthly market analysis. Data shows that in August 2025, nationwide retail sales of passenger cars reached 1.995 million units, up 4.6% year-on-year and 8.2% month-on-month. Of these, new energy passenger car retail sales were 1.101 million units, representing growth of 7.5% year-on-year and 11.6% month-on-month. By the end of August, total retail sales for the first eight months of 2025 stood at 14.741 million units, a 9.5% increase year-on-year. New energy vehicles (NEVs) accounted for 7.556 million units, up 25.8% year-on-year.
Top 10 Automakers in August
According to the CPCA’s ranking of domestic carmakers by retail sales, the top 10 automakers in August were:
BYD Auto
Geely Auto
Changan Auto
FAW-Volkswagen
Chery Auto
SAIC Volkswagen
FAW Toyota
SAIC-GM-Wuling
GAC Toyota
Great Wall Motor
Most automakers on the list saw year-on-year declines, with only Geely, Changan, GAC Toyota, and Great Wall achieving growth.
BYD Maintains Strong Lead
BYD continued to dominate, remaining the only carmaker with monthly sales above 300,000 units. It sold 310,000 vehicles in August, though this marked an 18.3% year-on-year decline. BYD’s market share stood at 15.5%. With four NEV sub-brands—BYD, Denza, Fangchengbao, and Yangwang—the automaker faces increasing competition but expects new launches to drive growth. Notably, the Fangchengbao Bao 7 SUV is set to debut tomorrow with a 1.5T PHEV powertrain.
Geely, Changan, and Great Wall Stand Out
Geely Auto ranked second with 214,000 units sold, up 57.2% year-on-year, the highest growth among the top ten. Changan Auto came third with 122,000 units, up 24.4%. Great Wall Motor posted the second-highest growth rate, up 38.8% to 62,000 units, securing 10th place. In contrast, Chery Auto sold 108,000 units, down 2.2%, placing 5th. Chery recently filed for a Hong Kong IPO and has reportedly passed its listing hearing, marking a key step in its capital market push.
Declines Among Joint Ventures
Among joint venture automakers, both FAW-Volkswagen and SAIC Volkswagen saw year-on-year declines. FAW-Volkswagen fell 12.7% to 112,000 units (4th place), while SAIC Volkswagen dropped 10.0% to 90,000 units (6th place). Japanese brands FAW Toyota and GAC Toyota ranked 7th and 9th, with FAW Toyota down 2.7% to 70,000 units, while GAC Toyota grew 4.8% to 66,000 units. Meanwhile, Dongfeng Nissan, GAC Honda, and Dongfeng Honda all fell out of the top 10. SAIC-GM-Wuling ranked 8th with 69,000 units, down 8.0% year-on-year.
Market Share Dynamics
In August, mainstream joint venture brands sold 470,000 units, down 2% year-on-year but up 2% month-on-month. German brands accounted for 14.2% market share (down 2.4%), Japanese brands 12.5% (down 0.1%), and American brands 6% (up 0.2%). By contrast, Chinese independent brands surged, with retail sales reaching 1.32 million units, up 9% year-on-year and 8.6% month-on-month, lifting their domestic market share to 65.7%, up 2.3% year-on-year.
Outlook
The CPCA noted that retail sales in August reached a new record high, exceeding the 1.92 million units sold in August 2023 by 3.7%, showing steady growth. Looking ahead, the association expects stronger sales momentum in September, boosted by the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday in 2024 falling in September (compared to October in 2025).