Many MindedChina's electric car wholesale volumes hit an estimated monthly high in October
The China Passenger Car Association estimates that passenger NEV wholesale sales in China reached 1.8 million units in October 2026. That would be 12% higher than a year earlier and 8% above September, and it would beat the previous monthly record of 1,706,000 set in November 2025, according to CnEVPost data. For January to October, cumulative wholesale is about 13.22 million units, up 9.9% year-on-year.
BYD led October with 483,125 units, followed by Geely (213,165), Chery (134,471), Changan (122,422) and Leapmotor (103,021). SAIC-GM-Wuling, SAIC Passenger Vehicle, Tesla China and Xpeng followed, and Xiaomi was reported above 50,000. Geely, Chery, SAIC Passenger Vehicle, Xpeng and Great Wall each set monthly records, and SAIC Volkswagen and FAW-Volkswagen roughly doubled from a year earlier. The CPCA credited persistently high oil prices for weakening gasoline-car demand, and said the Mid-Autumn Festival falling in September helped output and sales recover in October.
For mobility, the signal is breadth. Records came from many makers, including joint ventures with foreign brands, not just one leader. When electric models sell at this volume in the world's largest car market, it pushes more low-emission vehicles into ordinary buyers' reach. That also shifts transport demand away from oil, which touches energy.
The caveats are real. The 1.8 million figure is a preliminary estimate: automakers with over 10,000 NEV units made up 93% of September's total, their preliminary October sales were about 1.62 million, and the CPCA extrapolated from that share. Retail sales are forecast at 1.07 million, down 16.5% year-on-year. The CPCA also cited geopolitical conflicts, supply-chain and trade uncertainty, and a high base from last year's rush before subsidies tightened as limits on growth. Final data is the thing to watch.
Source: CnEVPost