China’s May auto sales: ICE models excluded from top 10 and top 5 best-sellers are pure-electric
For the Chinese automotive market, the May sales data reveal that not a single internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle made it into the top 10 best-selling models. This marks a departure from April, when the Geely Binyue (known as the Coolray in international markets) was the sole gasoline-powered representative, ranking 8th.
Top performers
Geely’s Geome Xingyuan (Geely EX2 in international markets) secured the top spot, recording 38,751 units sold – outperforming the second-place Tesla Model Y by 9,840 units. The Model Y saw a strong recovery, with 28,911 units delivered, a month-on-month increase of 25.8%.
Meanwhile, the Xiaomi SU7 maintained its position in the top three with 24,023 units sold, despite a slight month-on-month decline of 10.4%. The Xiaomi YU7 sold 8,736 units in May, marking five consecutive months of decline.
China May top 10 selling models:
| Rank | Model | May | April | MoM Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Geely Xingyuan (EX2) | 38,751 | 34,727 | +11.6% |
| 2 | Tesla Model Y | 28,911 | 22,990 | +25.8% |
| 3 | Xiaomi SU7 | 24,023 | 26,826 | -10.4% |
| 4 | Leapmotor A10 | 22,306 | 14,372 | +55.2% |
| 5 | Li Auto i6 | 20,878 | 21,024 | -0.7% |
| 6 | BYD Sealion 06 | 18,856 | 19,649 | -4.0% |
| 7 | Tesla Model 3 | 18,370 | 2,966 | +519.4% |
| 8 | SGMW Hongguang Mini EV | 18,308 | 13,229 | +38.4% |
| 9 | Aito M6 | 18,148 | 3,773 | +381.0% |
| 10 | Fang Cheng Bao Ti7 | 17,510 | 14,201 | +23.3% |
Rapid growth
Leapmotor’s A10 (Leapmotor B03X in international markets), as a major Xingyuan challenger, continues to show explosive growth. Since its launch on March 26th, deliveries have surged from 3,968 units in its debut month to 14,372 in April and reached 22,060 units in May.
Tesla’s Model 3 experienced a dramatic rebound, with sales jumping 519.4% month-on-month to 18,370 units, landing it in 7th place after a sluggish April performance of 2,966 units. Similarly, the Aito M6 saw a 381.0% surge to 18,148 units as production capacity ramped up.
Market Trends
The data suggests a clear consumer preference shifting toward pure electric vehicles (EVs). The top five models on this list are all pure electric vehicles, the sixth-ranked BYD Sealion 06 sold 18,856 units, with the pure electric version accounting for 14,868 units, significantly outpacing the plug-in hybrid version (3,988 units). Next up, in seventh and eighth place, are two more all-electric models.
