China logged about 650 car launches in the first half of 2025 - BYD calls the market “brutal”

The figures are for 2025, yet they are striking - and they are unlikely to look radically different in 2026. In the first six months of last year, more new automotive releases reached China than the US and Europe typically see combined across a full calendar year.

Based on data from the Chinese platform Dongchedi, cited by Bloomberg, roughly 650 new releases entered the Chinese market between January and June - the equivalent of more than 3.5 launches a day.

That total covers not only entirely new models, but also product revisions such as fresh trims, paint colours or equipment configurations. Even so, when you narrow the count to cars that are genuinely all-new, the speed at which brands refresh their line-ups remains remarkable.

Bloomberg’s analysis suggests that brand-new models accounted for around 30 launches per month from January onwards. Altogether, the Chinese market absorbed approximately 180 new cars in the first half of the year.

China versus the US and Europe

The contrast is stark. Taken together, the US and European markets operate at a far slower pace. According to the Car Wars study from Bank of America Securities, also cited by Bloomberg, the US is expected to receive only 159 new models between 2026 and 2029, after seeing just 29 introduced in 2024.

Europe tells a similar story: the Association of European Vehicle Logistics estimates that the European market typically gains between 35 and 50 entirely new models each year.

“It’s insane”

“It's insane.” That is how He Zhiqi, Executive Vice President at BYD, characterises China’s car market in a post on the social network Weibo, calling it “brutal”.

In his view, an industry where a fresh model once took several years to develop now moves so quickly that enthusiasm for a launch “barely lasts three months before it cools”.

Why launches keep coming despite softer demand

This relentless release cycle arrives just as domestic demand is showing clear signs of cooling. In June, passenger car sales in China fell 23% compared with the same month last year, according to figures from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).

The same launch tempo is happening precisely as the home market loses momentum: CPCA data show that passenger car sales dropped 23% in June year-on-year.

The push to keep introducing new models is fuelled by a price war that has run for years, alongside a market where cars are increasingly treated as technology products. To hold consumers’ attention, manufacturers are forced to update their ranges continually.

At the same time, Chinese makers have dramatically shortened development timelines, bringing new batteries, driver-assistance systems and other technologies to market more quickly.

For He Zhiqi, this intense rivalry will ultimately make Chinese brands more competitive worldwide. “Competition also creates prosperity,” he writes, comparing the Chinese market to a training ground: “You have to crawl and fight in it to build a strong body,” he concludes.