China Car Sales Fall 5.1% in August

China’s total vehicle sales dropped 5.1% from a year earlier to 2.712 million units in August 2026, following a 0.3% decline in the previous month, according to data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM). New energy vehicle (NEV) sales rose 17.8% year-on-year to 1.643 million units in August, following a 23.7% jump in July, with NEVs accounting for 60.6% of total vehicle sales, the second straight month in which the share exceeded 60%. For the first eight months of the year, total vehicle sales fell 3.8% year-on-year, compared with a 12.6% increase in the same period last year, while NEV sales grew 10.7% to 10.65 million units. During the period, NEV sales surpassed 50% of total new vehicle sales for the second consecutive month, accounting for 52.4%. Meanwhile, on a monthly basis, total car sales rose 4.9%. Last year, China’s vehicle sales grew 9.4% to a record high of 34.4 million units, accelerating from a 4.5% rise in 2024, while NEV sales jumped 28.2%.






