According to data from the Passenger Car Association, the retail sales of the national passenger car market in September 2025 reached 2.241 million units, a 6.3% increase year-on-year and an 11.0% increase month-on-month. Among them, sedan sales amounted to 1.021 million units, a 4.9% increase year-on-year and a 13.1% increase month-on-month. Focusing on the mid-size sedan market, the Top 15 Mid-Size Sedan Sales Ranking, compiled by Automotive Industry Focus, shows that in September, 12 models sold over 10,000 units, with Sea Lion 06, Qin L, Camry, and Model 3 each selling over 20,000 units. In comparison, only Qin L and Sea Lion 06 surpassed 20,000 units in August.
In September, the BYD Sea Lion 06 led the ranking with 27,459 units sold, overtaking Qin L, which sold 27,382 units. However, looking at the cumulative sales for the first nine months of the year, Qin L remains in the lead with a total of 212,202 units, while Sea Lion 06 has sold 169,179 units. To put it simply, the top two mid-size sedans for the first nine months of this year are still BYD Qin L and Sea Lion 06.
The third-ranked model is the Toyota Camry, which sold 20,517 units in September, an increase of 1,822 units from 18,695 units in August. As of the end of September, the Camry’s cumulative sales reached 151,887 units. Another Japanese sedan, the Honda Accord, sold 13,230 units, ranking eighth, with a cumulative sales total of 104,535 units for the year. Meanwhile, the Nissan Teana sold only 3,563 units, falling out of the top 15 list, ranking twenty-third, with a cumulative sales of 44,124 units. Apart from these three Japanese models, the Toyota Avalon sold 11,640 units, ranking eleventh, with cumulative sales of 88,782 units.
The fourth-ranked model is the Tesla Model 3, which sold 20,352 units in September and has accumulated 139,861 units year-to-date. Currently, Tesla’s China sales come from both the Model 3 and Model Y. However, Model Y has outperformed Model 3 in terms of sales. For reference, in September, Model Y sold 51,173 units, with a total of 292,843 units sold year-to-date.
In September, the Volkswagen Passat from SAIC Volkswagen and the Volkswagen Magotan from FAW-Volkswagen sold 18,592 units and 17,613 units, respectively, ranking fifth and sixth, with year-to-date cumulative sales of 169,028 units and 149,066 units, respectively.
Among the BBA mid-size sedan lineup, the BMW 3 Series from Brilliance BMW, the Mercedes-Benz C-Class from Beijing Benz, and the Audi A4L from FAW Audi sold 12,569 units, 10,430 units, and 7,638 units, respectively, ranking tenth, twelfth, and fourteenth in the list. This means that only the BMW 3 Series made it into the top ten in September. Data shows that Audi A4L is lagging behind the other two. As of the end of September, their year-to-date cumulative sales were 115,774 units, 98,944 units, and 60,391 units, with notable differences in sales performance.
Other models in the top ten include the Hongqi H5 from FAW Hongqi and the Geely Galaxy A7, with September sales of 14,096 units and 13,027 units, ranking seventh and ninth, respectively. Their cumulative sales for the year were 118,694 units and 28,117 units. The Galaxy A7, Geely’s first plug-in hybrid sedan under the Galaxy brand, launched on August 8 with seven variants, priced between 89,800 to 125,800 RMB. The car features a family design and is powered by the Thunder AI Hybrid 2.0 system, consisting of a 1.5L engine and an electric motor, with a maximum power output of 82 kW.
In addition, the XPeng P7 and Hongqi E-QM5 entered the top 15, with sales of 8,104 units and 6,493 units, respectively. Their cumulative sales for the year were 9,995 units and 45,684 units. The new XPeng P7, launched on August 27, comes with four variants, priced between 219,800 to 301,800 RMB. As a new generation model, it has undergone significant changes in both appearance and interior, offering notable improvements in intelligence. The new model is equipped with three Turing AI chips and is built on the 800V platform, with both rear-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive options, offering a maximum range of 820 km under **CLTC conditions.
This concludes the Top 15 Mid-Size Sedan Sales Ranking for September. With the introduction of more models in this segment, the mid-size sedan market is expected to experience more significant reshuffling.
