TMTPOST -- Chinese electric vehicle (EV) makers kicked off 2025 with a strong growth as data released on Tuesday showed a range of them posted double-digit, or even, triple-digit increases in deliveries for the first quarter.

Credit：Xpeng

BYD Co. Ltd in March sold 377,420 new energy vehicles (NEVs), including electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, cementing its leadership in China’s EV sector. The sales gained 23.1% year-over-year (YoY), cooling from a 164% YoY increase a month earlier, but on month-over-month (MoM) basis, sales growth accelerated to16.9% following a 7.4% MoM increase for February. While sales last month didn’t match the record BYD broke in December with a delivery of 514,809 NEVs, the company sold 1.0008 million units from January to March, topping the one-million mark with a 59.81% YoY rise.

As a leader among emerging EV startups in China for the first quarter, Xpeng Inc. continued to record triple-digit growth in March. It delivered 33,205 Smart EVs, marking a 268% YoY increase compared with a 570% YoY surge in February. The monthly delivery has surpassed 30,000 units for the fifth consecutive month. The delivery popped 9% MoM after a 0.3% gain for the previous month, though was still 10.4%, or 3,490 vehicles, less than  the latest record volume recorded in December, its fourth straight monthly record.

For the first quarter, Xpeng delivered 94,008 EVs, representing a new quarterly record with a 331% YoY increase. Besides the artificial intelligence (AI)-powered Xpeng Mona M03 and Xpeng P7+, the world’s first vehicle to feature built-in AI-powered advanced Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) across the entire lineup, the Guangzhou-based company suggested deliveries will further benefit from strong sales of new upgrades. It noted 2025 versions of the Xpeng G6 and Xpeng G9, two upgraded versions launched on March 13, come standard with 5C AI batteries and Turing AI-powered smart driving features across all trims.

For March alone, Zhejiang Leapmotor Technologies Ltd., overtook Li Auto Inc. as the best selling emerging home-grown Chinese NEV startup. Leapmotor’s delivery surged 154.65% YoY to 37,095 vehicles following a 285% YoY increase a month ago. That represented a MoM increase of 46.7%, accelerating from a 0.46% increase for February.  The Stellantis NV's Chinese partner delivered a total of 87,552 units with a 162.05% YoY increase for the first quarter. The company believed the robust growth highlights its continuously improving competitiveness and credibility in the NEV market. Leapmotor has started pre-orders of B10, an electric SUV with a starting price of RMB109,800, on March 10 and the model is set to officially hit the market on April 10.

Li Auto said its shipment in March rose 26.5% YoY to 36,674 vehicles, roughly in line with a 29.7% YoY increase for the previous month. Sequentially, the company snapped its decline in deliveries with a 39.6% MoM increase, following a fall of 48.8% in January and a decrease of 12.2% in February. Delivery for the quarter ended March climbed 15.5% YoY to 92,864 units.

Li Auto said it  has remained the sales champion among Chinese automotive brands in the RMB200,000 and above NEV market for twelve consecutive months. March witnessed Li Auto became the world’s first automaker to commit to open-sourcing its proprietary OS for smart vehicles, Li Halo OS. The company expects its next-generation proprietary autonomous driving architecture, MindVLA, to accelerate the adoption of autonomous driving technologies, extending their benefits to a wider range of users.

Nio Inc. delivery in March advanced 26.7 YoY to 15,039 vehicles, compared with a 62.2%% increase a month ago. The delivery reversed a MoM decline of 4.8% in February with a gain of 14%. The deliveries for March consisted of 10,219 vehicles from the company’s premium smart electric vehicle brand Nio, and 4,820 vehicles from its family-oriented smart EV brand ONVO. The company delivered 42,094 vehicles in the first quarter, representing an increase of 40.1% YoY.

Xiaomi Auto announced it has shipped more than 29,000 units of SU7 vehicles in March, exceeding the 20,000-unit mark for the sixth straight month. The Corporation division said it has confidence to meet the upgraded annual target of 350,000 units, adding that the expansion of capacity is going well. Xiaomi on March 18 revealed it has lifted annual target to 350,000 vehicles. That marked an increase of 16.7%, or 50,000 units, from its previous target.