The new forces in the automotive industry are continuously setting sales records.
Several new energy vehicle companies have recently released their sales data for August, with many achieving double or even triple-digit growth rates. However, Neta Auto stands out as the only company among these new players to report a decline in sales.
Specifically, in August, Li Auto successfully delivered 48,122 new vehicles, marking a growth of 37.8% compared to the same period last year. In the first eight months of 2024, Li Auto has delivered a total of 288,103 new vehicles to the market. As of August 31, 2024, Li Auto's total deliveries have reached 921,467 vehicles.
According to financial reports, Li Auto maintained a robust gross margin of 19.5% in the second quarter, although it showed a slight decline compared to the first quarter. This drop is attributed to the higher proportion of sales of the entry-level L6 model.
As for Aito, it ranks second. According to data released by Seres Group, Aito's new energy vehicles sold 36,181 units in August, representing a year-on-year increase of 479.55%. From January to August this year, Aito has cumulatively sold 279,306 new energy vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 381.75%.
Since the start of the year, Aito, a collaboration between Seres and Huawei, has consistently introduced new products. In the first half of the year, the flagship model Aito M9 was delivered on a large scale, alongside the launches of the new Aito M5 and Aito M7 Ultra. On August 26, the Aito New M7 Pro was released.
In the context of continuously improving performance, the collaboration between Seres and Huawei has entered a new phase. On August 23, the two parties held a signing ceremony in Shenzhen to deepen their strategic cooperation agreement and the investment agreement for Seres vehicles. Seres holds a 10% stake in the investment, marking an upgrade to a comprehensive business and equity partnership with Huawei.
Leap Motor achieved a historic high in deliveries with 30,305 vehicles in August, showing a year-on-year increase of over 113% and a month-on-month increase of 37%. Among these, deliveries from Leap Motor's SUV family constituted 72%, with the single model Leap C16 contributing over 8,000 units in monthly sales.
Thanks to its fully self-developed and manufactured components, Leap Motor has also gradually improved its gross margin, which reached 2.8% in the second quarter of this year.
NIO delivered 20,176 new vehicles in August, exceeding 20,000 units for four consecutive months. From January to August, NIO has delivered a total of 128,100 new vehicles, with a year-on-year increase of 35.77%. To date, NIO has cumulatively delivered 577,694 new vehicles.
In August, NIO also launched its County-Wide Charging Plan. According to the plan, NIO aims to have coverage of battery swap stations in over 2,800 counties nationwide by June 30, 2025.
Zeekr delivered 18,015 vehicles in August, marking a year-on-year increase of 46% and a month-on-month rise of 15%; the total deliveries from January to August reached 121,500 units, reflecting an 81% increase year-on-year. Previously, Zeekr released the 2025 models 001 and 007, but due to three updates within less than a year, older car owners felt "cut up," leading Zeekr to provide compensation plans. The distinction between early adopters and "cut grass” customers can sometimes be just one model update.
Zeekr Automotive
Xpeng Motors recorded sales of 14,036 vehicles in August, showing a year-on-year increase of 3% and a month-on-month growth of 26%. The total sales from January to August reached 77,209 vehicles, a 17% year-on-year increase.
For Xpeng, the fourth quarter of this year might usher in a period of rapid growth, as the newly launched MONA MO3 surpassed 30,000 pre-orders within just 48 hours of its release.
Xiaomi's SU7 exceeded 10,000 vehicle deliveries in August, marking three consecutive months of sales over 10,000. For Xiaomi Automotive, the sales limit is dictated by the factory's production capacity. The company officially predicts that they will meet the annual sales target of 100,000 vehicles by November.
IM Motors delivered 6,117 new vehicles in August, marking a year-on-year increase of 239%, with sales being stable compared to July. Notably, IM Motors has achieved sales of over 6,000 vehicles for three consecutive months. At the Chengdu Auto Show, the new model IM LS6 was announced with a starting price of 229,900 yuan, and within 10 hours of launching, pre-orders exceeded 5,000 vehicles.
Neta Auto is the only mainstream new force to report a decline in August, with total vehicle deliveries amounting to 11,000, a year-on-year decline of 9%. Neta's sales have experienced year-on-year declines for six consecutive months since February. In response, Neta's chairman, Fang Yunzhou, stated, “Since around 2021, we foresaw that the domestic market, especially in the coming years, would face intense competition. Therefore, we initiated our overseas strategy.”
Data shows that in the first half of 2024, Neta Auto's overseas sales reached 17,687 units, representing a year-on-year increase of 154%, maintaining the top position in export volume among new force vehicle companies for six consecutive months.
