Geely Auto reported a modest increase in vehicle sales in April as record overseas exports helped counter continued weakness in the domestic Chinese market.
The company sold 235,164 vehicles during the month, up 0.45% from a year earlier and 0.92% higher than March, according to data released Friday.
Exports remained the company’s strongest growth driver. Overseas sales surged 244.70% year-on-year to a record 83,186 vehicles in April.
Domestic sales, however, declined sharply. Geely sold 151,978 vehicles in China during the month, down 27.62% from a year earlier, although slightly higher than March levels.
Sales of new energy vehicles (NEVs) remained comparatively resilient. Geely delivered 135,591 NEVs in April, an 8% increase year-on-year, with electrified models accounting for 58% of total vehicle sales.
Performance at the company’s premium electric vehicle brand Zeekr was particularly strong. Zeekr delivered a record 31,787 vehicles in April, representing a 131.57% increase from a year earlier.
The growth was supported by strong demand for the Zeekr 9X large hybrid SUV, which exceeded 10,000 deliveries again in April. The company said the model achieved an average transaction price above 530,000 yuan ($77,619).
Zeekr’s newly launched Zeekr 8X SUV also contributed to growth, with nearly 3,500 units delivered within 13 days of its market launch.
Other Geely sub-brands showed mixed results. Geely Galaxy sold 91,001 vehicles in April, down 5.83% year-on-year, marking its fourth consecutive month of annual sales declines. However, Galaxy sales increased 9.98% compared with March.
For the first four months of 2026, Geely Auto’s cumulative sales totaled 944,522 vehicles, up 0.70% from the same period last year.
Overseas exports during the January-April period reached 286,210 vehicles, representing a 150.87% year-on-year increase.
The company said its export business is becoming increasingly important as intense price competition continues across China’s domestic automotive market. Earlier this month, Geely reported that core first-quarter profit rose 31%, excluding foreign exchange impacts.