New Energy Commercial Vehicle Penetration Rate Surpasses 30%! September Sales Soar 70%+ Year-on-Year

On October 14, 2025, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) released the production and sales data for the automotive industry in September. In September, automobile production and sales reached 3.276 million and 3.226 million units, respectively, representing month-on-month increases of 16.4% and 12.9%. Among them, the production and sales of commercial vehicles reached 376,000 and 368,000 units, respectively, with month-on-month increases of 19.3% and 16.3%.

In September, the production and sales of new energy vehicles reached 1.617 million and 1.604 million units, respectively, representing year-on-year growth of 23.7% and 24.6%. The market penetration rate of new energy vehicles was 49.7%. From January to September, the production and sales of new energy vehicles totaled 11.243 million and 11.228 million units, respectively, with year-on-year growth of 35.2% and 34.9%. The market penetration rate of new energy vehicles was 46.1%.

Commercial vehicles achieve comprehensive growth trend.

According to data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, in September, the production and sales of commercial vehicles reached 376,000 and 368,000 units, respectively, representing month-on-month increases of 19.3% and 16.3%, and year-on-year increases of 27.7% and 29.6%.In which, sales of natural gas commercial vehicles reached 26,000 units, a month-on-month increase of 30.2%. In September, the production and sales of trucks were 322,000 and 312,000 units respectively, with month-on-month increases of 19.1% and 14.9%, and year-on-year increases of 28.9% for both.

From January to September, the production and sales of commercial vehicles reached 3.091 million and 3.117 million units, respectively, with year-on-year growth of 9.4% and 7.8%. Among them, the sales of natural gas commercial vehicles accounted for 18.1%, with a year-on-year increase of 2.2%.From January to September, the production and sales of trucks reached 2.687 million and 2.71 million units, respectively, with year-on-year growth of 8.9% and 7.1%.

From the perspective of the commercial vehicle market flow, both domestic and foreign demand are showing an expanding trend. In September, domestic sales reached 275,000 units, a month-on-month increase of 15.8% and a year-on-year increase of 36.2%. Among them, domestic truck sales totaled 234,000 units, with a month-on-month growth of 14.2% and a year-on-year growth of 37.2%. In September, commercial vehicle exports were 93,000 units, a month-on-month increase of 18% and a year-on-year increase of 13.3%. Truck exports were 78,000 units, with a month-on-month growth of 17% and a year-on-year growth of 9.1%.

Sales of new energy commercial vehicles have surged, with a continued penetration of 30%!

Data shows that in September, domestic sales of new energy vehicles reached 1.382 million units, an increase of 18% month-on-month and 17.5% year-on-year.Among them, the domestic sales of new energy commercial vehicles reached 83,000 units, with a month-on-month growth of 26.2% and a year-on-year growth of 71.9%. In September, the domestic penetration rate of new energy commercial vehicles was 30%.

From January to September, domestic sales of new energy vehicles reached 9.47 million units, a year-on-year increase of 28.1%.Among them, the domestic sales of new energy commercial vehicles reached 566,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 61.4%, with a penetration rate of 23.9%.

In the overseas market, 222,000 new energy vehicles were exported in September, a month-on-month decrease of 0.9% and a year-on-year increase of 100%. Among them, 5,000 new energy commercial vehicles were exported, a month-on-month increase of 23.8% and a year-on-year increase of 35.2%. From January to September, 1.758 million new energy vehicles were exported, a year-on-year increase of 89.4%. Among them, 64,000 new energy commercial vehicles were exported, a year-on-year increase of 150%.

Overall, in September, under the trend of recovery and improvement in the overall automotive industry, China's new energy commercial vehicles achieved a dual breakthrough in both domestic demand and exports.

Firstly, the market shows strong endogenous momentum, with the penetration rate of new energy vehicles continuing to rise. In September, the domestic penetration rate of new energy commercial vehicles reached 30%, meaning that for every 10 commercial vehicles sold, 3 are new energy models. This marks that the market transformation has entered a phase of rapid development.

Secondly, overseas markets have become a new growth pole. The impressive data showing a 1.5-fold year-on-year increase in new energy commercial vehicle exports from January to September demonstrates that the competitiveness of Chinese new energy commercial vehicles in the global market is steadily improving.

Finally, the policy for trading in old China III and China IV trucks is set to expire at the end of the year, and the anticipated adjustments to the new energy vehicle purchase tax reduction policy together drove the promising market conditions at the end of the third quarter.

Looking ahead, under the dual logic of policy-driven and market substitution, new energy commercial vehicles are expected to continue to make a comprehensive push in the fourth quarter, leading the green transformation of the commercial vehicle industry to go deeper.