Inicio EV Chinese EV makers’ shares skid as sales slide after tax incentive ends

Chinese EV makers’ shares skid as sales slide after tax incentive ends

Chinese EV makers’ shares skid as sales slide after tax incentive ends
Major Chinese electric vehicle (EV) makers got off to a bumpy start in 2026 as they reported falling deliveries in January due to softening government support.
Shares of Hong Kong-listed BYD, Xpeng, Li Auto and Nio plummeted on Monday morning, battered by a bearish delivery outlook in the cutthroat mainland EV market.

“Lacklustre [sales] data in January represented a rude reminder that the industry will face a difficult year,” said Ivan Li, a researcher at Loyal Wealth Management in Shanghai. “Nearly all EV makers have become victims to a resumption of purchase tax, and manufacturers of low-priced cars will also suffer a big setback from an adjusted cash subsidy policy.”

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BYD, the world’s largest EV builder, handed 210,051 vehicles to customers at home and abroad in January, down 50 per cent from a month earlier and the lowest since February 2024, when it sold 122,311 cars. Its Hong Kong-listed shares plunged 6.9 per cent to HK$91 on Monday

Xpeng posted a 46.7 per cent month-on-month decline in sales in January, delivering a total of 20,011 units. Its Hong Kong shares dived 6.8 per cent to HK$66.80.

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Li Auto added an eighth month to a losing streak, as January sales slid 37.5 per cent from December to 27,668 vehicles. Its shares lost 2.3 per cent to HK$64.45.