Geely Auto recorded its highest monthly sales of the year in September as its domestic decline continued to narrow, while exports fell sequentially for the first time in 2026.
The Chinese automaker sold 292,168 vehicles in September, up 6.97% from a year earlier and 8.13% from August, according to data released Thursday.
September marked Geely’s third consecutive month of year-on-year growth above 5% and its highest monthly sales total of the year.
Exports Remain Strong Despite September Decline
Geely exported 106,685 vehicles in September, representing a 162.35% increase from a year earlier. However, exports declined 3.10% from August, when the company shipped 110,094 vehicles.
The September decline ended a run of eight consecutive months in which Geely’s monthly exports had reached new records.
Exports represented approximately 37% of Geely’s total sales in September, down from 41% in August.
Despite the monthly decline, international markets remain a major contributor to Geely’s overall growth. Cumulative exports for the first nine months reached 797,670 vehicles, up 169% year-on-year.
The company has already achieved 87% of its full-year export target of 920,000 vehicles. Geely raised that target from 640,000 on August 17.
Domestic Sales Decline Narrows Again
Geely sold 185,483 vehicles in China in September, the company’s highest domestic monthly total since January.
Domestic sales were still down 20.21% year-on-year, but the decline narrowed for the second consecutive month. The year-on-year drop stood at 25.22% in August and 29.12% in July.
For the first nine months, Geely’s cumulative domestic sales fell 23.28% year-on-year to 1,437,811 vehicles.
NEV Sales Reach 190,868 Vehicles
New energy vehicle (NEV) sales reached 190,868 units in September, up 15.54% year-on-year and representing approximately 65% of Geely Auto’s total sales.
Battery-electric vehicle (BEV) sales increased 25.86% year-on-year to 125,254 vehicles, while plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) sales were largely unchanged at 65,614 vehicles.
The figures show that battery-electric models accounted for the larger share of Geely’s NEV sales during the month.
Galaxy and Zeekr Support Growth
Geely’s main brand, including the Geely Galaxy range, sold 236,459 vehicles in September, up 6.53% from a year earlier.
The Galaxy sub-brand contributed 130,479 vehicles, its highest monthly total of 2026 and an increase of 7.95% year-on-year.
Zeekr delivered 37,216 vehicles in September, up 103.85% year-on-year. The result marked the ninth consecutive month in which Zeekr’s year-on-year growth was close to or above 100%.
Lynk & Co delivered 18,493 vehicles, down 43.79% year-on-year. It recorded the sharpest year-on-year decline among Geely’s major brands and remained the only brand within the group to post a year-on-year sales decline in September.
Geely Remains Behind Full-Year Sales Target
Geely Auto sold 2,235,481 vehicles during the first nine months, up 3.01% year-on-year, according to data compiled by CnEVPost.
The cumulative figure represents approximately 65% of the company’s full-year sales target of 3.45 million vehicles.
To reach that target, Geely would need to sell an average of approximately 405,000 vehicles per month during the fourth quarter. That would be substantially higher than its current monthly record of 310,428 vehicles, set in November 2025.
The company’s brand-level performance during the first nine months was mixed. Main Geely brand sales declined 1.91% year-on-year to 1,750,960 vehicles, while Lynk & Co sales fell 18.78% to 196,117. Zeekr sales doubled year-on-year to 288,404 vehicles.
Proton Adds to Group Growth
Geely’s Malaysian brand Proton also continued to post strong growth.
Proton sold 20,569 vehicles in September, an increase of approximately 43% from a year earlier. Its cumulative sales for the first nine months reached 157,761 vehicles, up approximately 30% year-on-year.
Geely Advances Ultrafast Charging Technology
Geely is also increasing its focus on charging technology as competition in China’s electric vehicle market expands.
The company unveiled a new generation of AI-based charging technology last week, claiming that it can charge a battery from 10% to 70% in 4 minutes and 30 seconds.
The technology places Geely in direct competition with other Chinese automakers pursuing increasingly high charging speeds, including BYD’s ultrafast charging systems.
