New energy passenger vehicles in China logged 596,000 retail deliveries between September 1 and 20, according to figures the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) released on Wednesday. That was a 9% year-on-year dip, though a 14% improvement over the same stretch of August, and electrified models still accounted for 67.9% of all passenger-car retail volume in the period. Year-to-date NEV retail stands at 7.27 million units, 12% below last year.
The rest of the market is in far worse shape. Overall passenger-car retail fell 22% year-on-year to 878,000 units over the same 20 days, leaving the 2026 tally at 12.59 million, down 21%. The gap traces almost entirely to the fuel side: output of pure internal-combustion light vehicles plunged 52% year-on-year in the first three weeks of September, while combined production of conventional and plug-in hybrids slid 23%.
Wholesale numbers told a stronger story. Manufacturers shipped 740,000 NEVs, up 8% year-on-year and good for 73.9% of total wholesale volume, even as full-market wholesale slipped 19% to 1.001 million units. Retail momentum also built steadily through the month, with daily sales averaging 35,050 in the first week, 43,515 in the second and 51,824 in the third.
The CPCA noted that this year's "Golden September" is no longer producing across-the-board gains, with automakers competing for a shrinking pool of first-time and replacement buyers and growth concentrated almost solely in NEVs. The association expects September NEV retail to reach about 1.11 million — roughly 10.5% above August — for a 65.7% share of the market.