BEIJING, April 1 (TMTPOST)— In the past month that China saw the Covid resurgence and a pause in manufacturing in some cities, Tesla’s Chinese rivals resumed their robust growth in delivery, getting out of the weak performance the previous month under the multiple effects from the most important traditional holiday and the ongoing supply chain woes.
Source: Visual China
Xpeng Inc., the annual delivery champion among China’s homegrown electric vehicle (EV) makers last year, had a delivery of 15,414 units in March, rising 148% month-over-month (MoM) and 202% year-over-year (YoY). The monthly delivery of the P7 smart sports sedan reaching 9,183, for the first time exceeded 9,000 and creating a delivery record for a full electric EV model made by the emerging EV startup in China. During the first three months this year, the company totally shipped more than 172,000, increasing 159% from a year ago to 172,514 vehicles.
HOZON Auto’s brand Nezha, at the second place based on delivery volume for two months in a row, delivered 12,026 units, up 270% YoY, and NeZha V series set their delivery record in March with a monthly delivery of 8,122 units and a 153% YoY increase.
Li Auto Inc, following Nezha based on delivery volume, delivered 11,034 Li ONEs in March, with a 125% YoY growth. Li ONE, its only model saw quarterly delivery of 31,716, representing a 152.1% YoY increase. The startup admitted the effect of auto parts shortage on the production due to the resurging Covid-19 cases in the Yangtze Dela region. It vowed to take measures to ensure supply and protect production from the effect, and expected to unveil a flagship smart SUV L9 on April 16.
NIO Inc delivered 9,985 vehicles in March, increasing 62.9% MoM and 37.6% YoY, compared with down 36.5 MoM and up 9.9% YoY a month earlier. In the three months ended on March 31, the maker cumulatively delivered 192,838 vehicles with 28.5% YoY growth, representing an eighth straight positive quarterly growth. The company is on track of stronger delivery in the rest of the year since it planned to unveil the 2022 NIO ES8, ES6 and EC6 with the latest digital cockpit hardware, and to launch the digital cockpit upgrade plan for existing users in late May. NIO ES7, its new mid-to-large five-seater SUV equipped with NIO Technology 2.0 (NT2), will also make its debut that month.