Hong Kong P Car Sales : 2026 (Jan-Aug)

Registrations were down 30% in August but up 53% YTD. A strong start to 2026 (+143% by April) was helped by a poor start to 2025. Then EV purchase subsidies were cut back, leading to a slump from June onward. This has apparently squeezed profit margins too. By the end of the year, the large increase on 2025 with have been eroded. How much we will have to see.

Toyota was the best selling brand here for some time, with 2019 being the last year it was ranked #1. With electric cars now being so popular and Chinese brands aggressively active in this, a special administrative region of China, a comeback seems unlikely.  

Tesla and BYD are in a war for top spot, yet both suffering sharp market share falls. Audi didn't sell any cars in August and Hyundai has now missed two consecutive months. VW hasn't sold a car here since October last year. It's become a very disrupted market place for car importers.   

Looking at the top brands in more detail.

Tesla: Y (3,797) and 3 (2,587) are the two models sold here.
BYD: Sealion 7 (2,474) and the Atto 2 (2,178) make up 74% of the total.
GAC Aion: UT (1,227), ES (889) and V (674) lead the way.
Zeekr: 7X (2,371) and 009 (737) account for 98% of sales.
Toyota: bZ3X (1,397) did 63% of the registrations on its own.

Data source: HK Transport Department. 

Picture source: Zeekr (X) and GAC Aion (ES) Hong Kong.

NZ Passenger Car Sales : 2026 (Jan-July)

Registrations for PCs were up 15% in August and 15%YTD. Toyota has had a slow start, as it often does and while it had a good August, it still lags behind 2025. It holds 18.5% market share but that is down from 22.9% on a full 2025. 

Mitsubishi is in the same boat as Toyota, only a bit worse. BYD has raced into the top ten, with Haval and MG are there too and Chery closing in quickly on that achievement. The Haval H6 is above, right. The Chery Tiggo 4 below.

Japanese sourced passenger cars have reached 38% and Chinese 29% penetration 2026 YTD. EVs are up to 17% and hybrid cars (all types) 46%. 

Data source: NZTA. 

Lotus Technology Deliveries : 2025/26 (H1)

Lotus reported that it's half year sales result was up 39%. Going on their unaudited 2025 figure as as seen to the right, it's +35%. 

According to the company, growth was driven by the launch of the Eletre X, a new PHEV model. The sports car division meanwhile maintained a stable volume. 

Data source: Lotus Technology.

Photos: Lotus. (Eletre, Emira & Eletre X).

Regionally, China experienced strong growth in total deliveries with an increase of 60% YOY, outpacing the premium passenger automotive segment amid an increasingly competitive landscape. 

Lifestyle vehicle deliveries (Cars/SUV) increased to 77% of the total sales. It was 70% in 2025. Sports cars are, as mentioned already, holding up well, but not growing to the same degree. 

Eletre X, a new PHEV model. It helped Lotus enter the range extended PHEV segment. Eletre X has been delivered in China and six other markets. Deliveries in mainland Europe are expected to commence in the fourth quarter of 2026, followed by the UK in mid 2027.