Chinese new energy vehicle maker Xpeng delivered 12,922 cars in January 2022, again outstripping its demestic arch rivals NIO and Li Auto in monthly sales.
Meanwhile, Li Auto came in second, posting a delivery of 12,268 units, followed by NIO's 9,652 in January.
According to Xpeng, its delivery jumped 115% year on year in January, exceeding the monthly benchmark of 10,000 for five consecutive months.
Sales of its sports flagship sedan P7 reached 6,707 units, totaling 80,000 since its launch in 2020. Orders for P5, a smaller coupe unveiled in 2021, have also been climbing, with customers taking delivery of 4,029 of this model over the past month. Sales for P5 has topped 4,000 for two months in a row.
In addition, G3, a sport utility vehicle from Xpeng, sold 2,186 units in January. By the end of last month, XPeng had sold more than 150,000 cars covering all its models.
Li Auto's January delivery, at 12,268, leaped 128.1% from the same period last year. More than 10,000 units of Li One, its best-selling model, have found their buyers for three months on end.
Li Auto, which so far has only one model in its product portfolio, had delivered a total of 136,400 cars as of the end of January 2022.
NIO, the earlist of the trio to build electric cars, recorded the smallest percentage growth in delivery at 33.6% for January. By the end of last month, NIO's deliveries, both at home and abroad, stood at 176,700 units.
Although the three auto makers have experienced varying degrees of sales increase in January despite a prolonged global car chip shortage, capacity woes and supply chain issues are likely to linger in 2022.
According to an insider from NIO, "[the company] will deliver at the top of its capacity every month like in last year."
In response to capacity shortages, Xpeng said in a company statement that it will conduct technical revamps to its production base in Zhaoqing of southern China's Guangdong Province during the seven-day Chinese New Year holiday.
Following the face-lift, it will likely "accelerate the delivery of a backlog of orders."
Over the past year, Xpeng, NIO and Li Auto sold 98,155, 91,429 and 90,491 cars, respectively, falling short of the expected annual sales target of 100,000 units.
Nonetheless, market watchers believe conditions are ripe for the trio to cross the threshold with relative ease.
Amid growing NEV penetration in the domestic auto market, China Passenger Car Association projected NEV sales this year to rocket to 5.5 million, almost double the figures from last year, with penetration also increasing to 25% this year.
Besides, new models released by NIO and Xpeng are likely to make some waves. NIO's ET5, its first mid-size sports sedan that employs the "battery-as-a-service" business model, carries a sticker price starting at CNY 258,000 (USD 40,630). With its entry, competition is expected to heat up in the market segment with a price range of CNY 200,000 to CNY 300,000.
Xpeng also eyes a bigger market share with the rollout of G9, its first medium- and larges-size eletric SUV.
Both models have been named by Electrek, a leading car website, in the list of "22 of the most anticipated electric vehicles coming in 2022."
Everbright Securities forecasted in a research note that in 2022, Xpeng, NIO and Li Auto will deliver a combined 550,000 to 600,000 cars, with Xpeng leading the pack and Li Auto coming in last.