Passenger Car Association Branch: The retail penetration rate of new energy passenger vehicles reached 67.0% in September, a record high

China News Service, Beijing, October 12 (Reporter Zhang Ni) On the 12th, the Passenger Car Market Information Joint Branch of the China Automobile Dealers Association (Passenger Car Association Branch) released data stating that the national retail penetration rate of new energy passenger vehicles climbed to 67.0% in September, and the wholesale penetration rate reached 65.4%, both hitting record highs.

The latest data from the Passenger Car Association Branch shows that in September 2026, the national passenger car market retailed 1.618 million units, a year-on-year decrease of 28.0%, and a month-on-month increase of 5.0%; from January to September, the cumulative retail sales of passenger cars were 13.334 million units, a year-on-year decrease of 21.7%.

In September, the penetration rate of new energy continued to break through new highs, but the year-on-year growth rate slowed down significantly compared with the previous period. The Passenger Car Association Branch believes that "fuel shrinkage is accelerating, and new energy is leading the way with resilience" has become the main line of the market, and high oil prices continue to accelerate the pace of "oil and electricity substitution".

Judging from export data, passenger car exports (including complete vehicles and CKD) in September were 917,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 73.7% and a month-on-month increase of 3.2%, accounting for 36% of passenger car manufacturers' sales (38% last month and 19% in the same period in 2025). In September, new energy vehicles accounted for 60.8% of total exports, a significant increase of 21 percentage points from the same period.

The China Passenger Car Association Branch believes that exports surpass domestic demand and have become the core concern of some car companies. Exports effectively stabilize the wholesale and profits of car companies. Some car companies export more than 50%. Exports account for 70% of the total number of car companies. The number of manufacturers is increasing rapidly. Export sales have become the core driving force for the growth of car companies.