China EV Sales April 2025: Leapmotor Crushes It, NIO Surges, Xiaomi Slips Slightly

Let’s dive into the latest Chinese EV sales data for April 2025, and it’s a mixed bag with some clear winners and intriguing shifts in the market.

Leapmotor (Lingpao Qiche 零跑汽车) is absolutely crushing it, holding onto the top spot among emerging brands for another month.

Meanwhile, NIO (Weilai 蔚来) showed a massive comeback, while the much-hyped Xiaomi EV saw a slight pullback.

Interestingly, Huawei’s Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance (Hongmeng Zhixing 鸿蒙智行 or HIMA) stayed quiet on official delivery numbers for the second month straight.

What’s driving these changes? Let’s break it down.

April’s EV Sales Scorecard: The Winners and Shifting Ranks

The race among China’s new electric vehicle makers is heating up, and April brought some notable shifts.

• 🥇 Leapmotor (Lingpao Qiche 零跑汽车): The undisputed leader this month.
• 🥈 XPeng (Xiaopeng Qiche 小鹏汽车): Climbed up to take the second spot.
• 🥉 Li Auto (Lixiang Qiche 理想汽车): Slipped slightly to third place.

Individual Brand Performance Breakdown

Leapmotor: The Dark Horse Gallops Ahead

Leapmotor, often called the “strongest dark horse” in the Chinese EV scene, really solidified its position in April.

They delivered a whopping 41,000 vehicles.

That’s a stunning 173% increase year-on-year (YoY), setting a new growth record for the company.

Crucially, Leapmotor was the only new EV maker we tracked this month to break the 40,000 delivery mark.

XPeng vs. Li Auto: A Tight Race for Second

XPeng (Xiaopeng Qiche 小鹏汽车) had a strong showing, muscling past Li Auto for the #2 position.

• April Deliveries: 35,000 new cars.
• YoY Growth: An impressive 273% increase.
• Month-on-Month (MoM) Growth: A solid 5.5% increase.
• Consistency is Key: This marks the sixth consecutive month XPeng has delivered over 30,000 vehicles.
• Year-to-Date (YTD): 129,000 cars delivered from Jan-Apr 2025 (up 313% YoY).
• Milestone: Cumulative discoveries have now surpassed 700,000 vehicles.

Li Auto (Lixiang Qiche 理想汽车), while slipping to third, still posted respectable numbers.

• April Deliveries: 33,900 new vehicles.
• YoY Growth: A healthy 31.6% increase.
• Big Picture: As of April 30, 2025, Li Auto’s cumulative deliveries hit a massive 1,260,700 vehicles.

Xiaomi EV: Cooling Off After Hot Start?

Xiaomi EV (Xiaomi Qiche 小米汽车), the highly anticipated “newer new force,” saw its rapid growth trajectory stutter slightly in April.

Deliveries dipped a bit, coming in at just over 28,000 vehicles for the month.

However, context is important: from January to April 2025, Xiaomi EV has already sold over 100,000 units – a significant achievement for a newcomer.

NIO’s Impressive Comeback

NIO (Weilai 蔚来) staged a remarkable recovery in April, especially compared to the previous month.

• April Deliveries (Total): 23,900 new cars.

* This represents a 53% YoY increase.

* More strikingly, it’s a 58.9% MoM surge.

• Brand Breakdown:
  * The core NIO brand delivered 19,300 cars.
  * The newer Onvo (Ledao 乐道) brand delivered 4,400 vehicles.
• Cumulative Deliveries (NIO Inc.): 737,600 vehicles to date.
  * NIO brand: 697,400 units.
  * Onvo brand: 39,900 units.

Zeekr Faces Headwinds

It wasn’t good news for everyone.

Zeekr (Jike 极氪) stood out as the only tracked new EV maker experiencing declines both year-on-year and month-on-month.

They delivered 13,700 vehicles in April.

This is down 11% MoM and 14.7% YoY.

Market Dynamics: HIMA’s Silence & Model Transitions

So, what’s behind some of these shifts, and why the radio silence from HIMA?

Huawei’s Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance (HIMA) hasn’t officially published monthly delivery numbers for March or April.

However, they did reveal on April 29th that the new AITO (Wenjie 问界) M8 model racked up 60,000 firm orders (these require non-refundable deposits) within just 13 days of launch.

This massive demand is creating its own challenges: HIMA acknowledged significant production capacity and delivery pressures for the M8.

They’re even offering a care subsidy for patient customers: If the wait exceeds 10 weeks, buyers get ¥200 RMB (approx. $28 USD) per day over the threshold, capped at ¥10,000 RMB (approx. $1,380 USD).

Why did several other brands see less-than-stellar MoM performance in April?

It seems largely tied to model transitions.

Many automakers announced major new models just before the Shanghai Auto Show, leading consumers to adopt a “wait-and-see” attitude.

Industry folks believe HIMA’s main brand, AITO (Wenjie 问界), is likely in such a transition period.

Anticipation for the hot new M8 probably diverted demand from older models.

This isn’t just impacting individual brands; it’s visible in the broader market.

Data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) shows that from April 1st-27th:

• Retail sales of passenger cars hit 1.391 million units.
• This was up 10% YoY.
• However, it was down 10% compared to March.

The CPCA suggests that the flurry of popular new car launches at the Shanghai Auto Show in late April, with deliveries starting soon, should inject new growth momentum into the new energy vehicle (NEV) market and bolster the overall car market.

It’s clear the Chinese EV sales landscape remains dynamic, with fierce competition and significant shifts driven by new models and production scaling.

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FAQs

Who was the top-selling new EV maker in China for April 2025?

Leapmotor (Lingpao Qiche 零跑汽车) secured the top spot, delivering over 41,000 vehicles, a significant lead over other emerging brands.

How did NIO perform in April 2025?

NIO (Weilai 蔚来) had a strong month, delivering 23,900 vehicles. This marked a 53% increase year-over-year and a very impressive 58.9% increase month-on-month.

Did Xiaomi EV sales increase in April 2025?

No, Xiaomi EV (Xiaomi Qiche 小米汽车) experienced a slight dip in April, delivering just over 28,000 vehicles (~28,000). However, their cumulative sales since launch remain strong, exceeding 100,000 units by the end of April.

Why haven’t Huawei’s HIMA (AITO) released April sales figures?

Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance (HIMA) has not officially released delivery data for two consecutive months. While the exact reason isn’t stated, it coincides with massive demand and production pressure for their new AITO M8 model, suggesting a potential transition period or focus on managing the order backlog.

What is the general trend in the Chinese EV market based on April data?

The overall market saw a month-on-month slowdown in April (-10% retail passenger car sales vs March, per CPCA partial data), likely due to consumers waiting for new models announced around the Shanghai Auto Show. However, year-on-year growth remains positive (+10% YoY), and experts anticipate renewed momentum as deliveries of newly launched EVs commence. The competition remains intense, highlighted by Leapmotor’s rise and shifts among players like XPeng and Li Auto.

References

• Original Source: The Paper (澎湃新闻)
• Related: Reuters: China EV sales growth slows in April, price war takes toll
• Related: CnEVPost: Nio delivers 15,620 vehicles in Apr, up 134.6% YoY (Note: This link seems to have slightly different figures, likely from a different source or time period clarification – the article uses the figures from The Paper)
• Related: InsideEVs: China Plug-In Car Sales Exceeded 800,000 In April 2024