Chongqing - Changan Automobile (Changan) and Seres recently reported their July sales, with both brands seeing significant year-on-year growth in NEV segment. 

Specifically, Changan’s sales rose 23.43% to 210,604 vehicles, with NEVs up 74.05% to 80,006 units, while Seres saw a 2.47% increase in overall sales to 47,943 vehicles, with NEVs growing 5.70% to 44,581 units, according to the two companies' official reports.

In Changan Automobile's factory, robotic arms process the vehicle's body frames. (Photo/Wang Jiaxi)

Changan's NEV brands include Deepal, Avatr, and Qiyuan (or Changan in the overseas market), all of which the company independently developed. This contrasts with some of Changan's gasoline-powered vehicles, which are produced in collaboration with international partners like Ford and Mazda.

Deepal, one of Changan's NEV brands, saw a remarkable 62.48% increase in sales, totaling 27,169 vehicles in July. Targeting the young consumer demographic, Deepal’s vehicles are priced between 150,000 and 350,000 yuan (USD 20,883-48,728).

Avatr, a premium NEV brand jointly established by Changan, CATL, and Huawei, experienced a dramatic 177.57% increase from the same period a year earlier, with sales reaching 10,062 units. Positioned in the luxury segment, Avatr’s offerings are priced from 200,000 to 700,000 yuan.

Meanwhile, Qiyuan, which targets the mass market with vehicles priced between 80,000 and 300,000 yuan, sold 28,568 units.

In NEV sector, traditional vehicle manufacturing models no longer fit the new competitive environment where restructuring the industry value chain is essential. One key aspect of this is cross-industry collaboration with tech companies. On August 8, Zhu Huarong, Chairman of Changan, visited the director and CEO of Huawei, Ren Zhengfei, to discuss industry competition and future trends. Ren offered support for Changan and Avatr brands.

Zhu’s visit could signal further collaboration between the two companies. Changan and Huawei have already worked closely on Avatr and intelligent driving technologies. In March, Huawei reduced its stake in Yinwang, an automotive intelligence company, from 100% to 80%, with Avatr taking a 10% share.

China Changan Automobile Group was officially established in Chongqing on July 29, marking a significant upgrading move. This new group is China’s third centrally administered automotive state-owned enterprise (SOE), with Zhu serving as Chairman.

As a vehicle manufacturer, Changan plays a central role within the group. The company stated that the recent restructuring will enable Changan to integrate resources better, empowering its three NEV brands—Avatr, Deepal, and Qiyuan—with enhanced policy support, capital, talent, and technology.

Changan plans to further develop its NEV portfolio. At a recent media briefing, Chairman Zhu Huarong announced that the group plans to launch over 50 new energy models globally in the next five years, including more than seven major models, each aiming for 300,000 units in sales. By 2030, Changan targets total vehicle sales of 5 million units, with NEVs making up over 60%, or more than 3 million units.

The final assembly workshop of Seres' super factory, with robots in operation. (Photo/Wang Jiaxi)

Meanwhile, Seres continues to focus on NEV, its core business. From April to June 2025, the company reported consistent year-on-year growth in NEV sales: 31,488 units in April, 39,982 in May, and 46,086 in June, reflecting increases of 12.99%, 17.15%, and 4.44%, respectively.

This growth is driven by updates to the Aito series, including the March launch of Aito M9, followed by Aito M8 in April. The Aito M8 electric version began pre-sales in July, starting at 378,000 yuan.

Aito, Seres' premium NEV brand based in Chongqing Liangjiang New Area, saw a strong market, reaching 153,648 units in 2025 H1. For example, Aito M9 accounted for 62,492 units, up 6.28%, representing 40.6% of Aito’s total sales. Positioned in the luxury 500,000 yuan-plus segment, Aito M9 leads its market category.

Seres' partnership with Huawei under the Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance (HIMA) has played a key role in Aito’s success. This collaboration has helped transform Seres from a lesser-known automaker to a prominent car brand. According to the 2025 Fortune China 500, Seres rose 235 spots, the largest improvement among all companies.

Despite declining cumulative sales compared to last year, this is not a sign of poor performance, as 2024 was marked by explosive growth. The company has entered a period of stabilization in 2025.

In its 2024 financial report, Seres posted record revenue of 145.18 billion yuan, up 305.04% year-on-year, and net profit of 5.95 billion yuan. Seres’s NEV sales for 2024 totaled 426,885 units, a 182.84% increase.

China Association of Automobile Manufacturers released July sales data for the Chinese market on August 11. Total vehicle sales reached 2.59 million units, up 14.7% year-on-year. From January to July, total vehicle sales rose 12%. NEV sales reached 1.262 million units in July, up 27.4%. NEVs accounted for 45% of total new car sales during the period.