China's EV market slows as price war deepens and overseas push accelerates

Core Insights - China's electric vehicle (EV) market is experiencing a downturn in 2025, with sales declining among major players due to intense competition and changing market dynamics [1] Sales Performance - Sales momentum weakened throughout the year, with Tesla's China sales dropping by 7.4% year-on-year from January to November, while BYD reported a 5.1% decline during the same period [2] - BYD's sales saw a significant drop of 26.5% in November compared to the previous year [2] - Newer entrants, such as models powered by Huawei software and vehicles from Xiaomi, recorded sales increases of over 90% in November, indicating a shift towards tech-driven competitors [3] Market Concentration - The top 10 manufacturers now account for approximately 95% of China's new energy vehicle market, a significant increase from 60-70% just two to three years ago [4] - Analysts anticipate further consolidation as consumers favor well-known brands amid increasing price pressures [4] Price Competition - Aggressive discounting has become prevalent, with significant price cuts reported, such as a 432,000 yuan reduction on the Mercedes-Benz EQS EV [5] - UBS predicts that the price war will persist for years, with potential policy changes in 2026 that could negatively impact growth [5] Sales Growth Forecast - UBS forecasts that China's EV sales growth rate may halve next year from around 20% in 2025, indicating a highly saturated market [6] - New energy vehicles accounted for 59.4% of new passenger car sales in November, suggesting limited room for further rapid expansion [6] International Expansion - Slowing domestic demand is prompting Chinese automakers to accelerate their overseas expansion, where profit margins are typically higher [8] - Geely reported that its EV exports quadrupled in the first half of the year, contributing to total vehicle exports of 184,000 [8] - BYD is also expanding internationally, with a new factory in Hungary set to increase production in 2026 and over 131,000 cars exported in November alone [9] Foreign Competition - Analysts expect intensified competition in Europe from Chinese manufacturers and battery makers, which may pressure US automakers and Tesla [9] - Volkswagen has established joint ventures with Xpeng and Horizon Robotics, delivering over 17 million vehicles in China in the first three quarters of 2025, marking an 8.5% year-on-year increase [10]