China’s total vehicle sales fell 2.1% year-on-year to 2.6299 million units in May 2026, following a 2.5% decline in the previous month, according to data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM). New energy vehicle (NEV) sales rose 14.4% year-on-year to 1.496 million units in May, accelerating from 9.7% growth in April, with NEVs accounting for 56.9% of total vehicle sales. Meanwhile, domestic sales plunged 20.4% year-on-year in May. In contrast, vehicle exports surged 68.7%, serving as a key driver of the sector, which has increasingly relied on overseas shipments to offset weakness in the domestic market. "Stabilizing domestic demand this year should be regarded as a very important task for the automotive industry," said Chen Shihua, deputy secretary-general of the CAAM, as Reuters reported. Last year, China’s vehicle sales increased 9.4% year-on-year to a record high of 34.4 million units, up from a 4.5% increase in 2024, while NEV sales surged 28.2%. source: China Association of Automobile Manufacturers

Total Vehicle Sales in China decreased to 2526000 Units in April from 2899000 Units in March of 2026. Total Vehicle Sales in China averaged 1387545.70 Units from 1997 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 3489000.00 Units in December of 2024 and a record low of 88416.00 Units in January of 1998. This page provides - China Total Vehicle Sales- actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news. China Total Vehicle Sales - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on June of 2026.

Total Vehicle Sales in China decreased to 2526000 Units in April from 2899000 Units in March of 2026. Total Vehicle Sales in China is expected to be 2975000.00 Units by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the China Total Vehicle Sales is projected to trend around 358000.00 Units in 2027 and 375000.00 Units in 2028, according to our econometric models.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2026-05-11 06:40 AM
Vehicle Sales YoY
Apr -2.5% -0.6%
2026-06-10 07:15 AM
Vehicle Sales YoY
May -2.1% -2.5%


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Business Conditions Index 50.80 51.70 points Apr 2026
NBS Manufacturing PMI 50.00 50.30 points May 2026
Industrial Capacity Utilization 73.60 74.90 percent Mar 2026
Passanger Car Production 2616000.00 2575000.00 Units May 2026
Passenger Car Sales 1384000.00 1648000.00 Units Apr 2026
Cement Production 14571.00 12310.00 Ten Thousands of Tonnes Apr 2026
Changes in Inventories 15366.10 11183.40 CNY Hundred Million Dec 2025
Composite Leading Indicator 98.91 98.79 points May 2026
Industrial Profits (YTD) YoY 2435840.00 1696040.00 CNY Million Apr 2026
Corruption Index 43.00 43.00 Points Dec 2025
Corruption Rank 76.00 76.00 Dec 2025
Electricity Production 744000.00 802480.00 Gigawatt-hour Apr 2026
Industrial Production YoY 4.10 5.70 percent Apr 2026
Industrial Production Mom 0.05 0.28 percent Apr 2026
Leading Economic Index 143.60 144.80 points Apr 2026
Manufacturing Production YoY 4.00 6.00 percent Apr 2026
Mining Production 3.80 5.70 percent Apr 2026
New Orders 49.90 50.60 points May 2026
Steel Production 83600.00 87000.00 Thousand Tonnes Apr 2026
Vehicle Sales YoY 2629000.00 2526000.00 Units May 2026


China Total Vehicle Sales
In China, Total Vehicle Sales refers to the number of automobiles sold in a given month.
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
2629000.00 2526000.00 3489000.00 88416.00 1997 - 2026 Units Monthly
NSA

News Stream
China Car Sales Drop 2.1% in May
China’s total vehicle sales fell 2.1% year-on-year to 2.6299 million units in May 2026, following a 2.5% decline in the previous month, according to data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM). New energy vehicle (NEV) sales rose 14.4% year-on-year to 1.496 million units in May, accelerating from 9.7% growth in April, with NEVs accounting for 56.9% of total vehicle sales. Meanwhile, domestic sales plunged 20.4% year-on-year in May. In contrast, vehicle exports surged 68.7%, serving as a key driver of the sector, which has increasingly relied on overseas shipments to offset weakness in the domestic market. "Stabilizing domestic demand this year should be regarded as a very important task for the automotive industry," said Chen Shihua, deputy secretary-general of the CAAM, as Reuters reported. Last year, China’s vehicle sales increased 9.4% year-on-year to a record high of 34.4 million units, up from a 4.5% increase in 2024, while NEV sales surged 28.2%.
2026-06-10
China Car Sales Drop 2.5% in April
China’s total vehicle sales fell 2.5% year-on-year to 2.526 million units in April 2026, following a 0.6% decline in the previous month, according to data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM). Meanwhile, new energy vehicle (NEV) sales rose 9.7% year-on-year in April to 1.344 million units, accelerating from a 1.2% gain in March, with exports surging 110% to a record high. In contrast, domestic NEV sales fell 10.8% YoY. For the first four months of the year, total car sales declined 4.8% year-on-year, sharply reversing a 10.8% increase in the same period in 2025, while NEV sales edged up 0.1% over the period. On a monthly basis, car sales dropped 12.9%. Last year, China’s vehicle sales climbed 9.4% year-on-year to a record high of 34.4 million units, accelerating sharply from 4.5% in the previous year, with NEV sales soaring 28.2%.
2026-05-11
China Car Sales Drop 0.6% in March
China’s total vehicle sales fell 0.6% year-on-year to 2.899 million units in March 2026, after a downwardly revised 15.2% plunge in the previous month, according to data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM). February sales slumped as volumes were affected by significantly fewer working days due to the Lunar New Year holidays falling in February this year rather than January last year. Of that total, overall vehicle exports surged 72.7% yoy to 875 thousand units. Meanwhile, new energy vehicle (NEV) sales rose 1.2% yoy in March, accounting for 43.2% of new car sales. For the first quarter of the year, car sales dropped 5.6% yoy, sharply reversing an 11.2% jump in the same period in 2025, with NEV sales declining 3.7% in Q1 2026. However, car sales surged 60.6% from a month earlier. In 2025, China’s vehicle sales grew 9.4% year-on-year to a record high of 34.4 million units, accelerating from 4.5% in the previous year, with NEV sales surging 28.2%.
2026-04-10