Sales of large luxury cars in the Chinese market in May: Audi A8 was overtaken by domestic cars – Passionategeekz –

[CNMO Technology News]Passionategeekz noticed that in May 2025, China’s large luxury sedan market ushered in structural changes. According to the latest sales data summarized by the blogger, Mercedes-Benz S-Class (including Maybach S-Class) ranked first with 1,591 units, followed by Porsche Panamera and BMW 7 Series, while Audi A8 ranked fifth with 517 units, down 13.2% from last month. It is worth noting that the domestic new energy luxury brand NIO ET9 surpassed the Audi A8L with sales of 692 units, becoming the dark horse in this market segment.

NIO ET9

The strong performance of NIO ET9 is not an isolated case. In April 2025, NIO ET9 entered the luxury D-class sedan sales list for the first time, surpassing the BMW 7 Series and Audi A8L with sales of more than 1,000 vehicles. In the first half of 2024, the U8 topped the million-dollar luxury car rankings and became the benchmark for domestic high-end cars. Behind these achievements is the breakthroughs of domestic car companies in intelligence, battery life and brand premium. For example, the smart cockpit and battery swap technology equipped by NIO ET9, as well as the “emergency water replenishment” function of looking up to U8, have become differentiated selling points to attract high-net-worth users.

On the other hand, as a representative of BBA’s traditional luxury sedans, the Audi A8L’s sales decline reflects deep contradictions in the industry. Analysis points out that Audi has shortcomings in creating a sense of luxury, while BMW pays more attention to sportiness and handling, while Mercedes-Benz has a mental advantage with the luxury comfort of the S-Class. In addition, Audi has been slightly slow in the transformation of new energy.

Audi A8L

Passionategeekz believes that sales data in May reveal two major trends in China’s luxury car market: high-end and domestic production. Mercedes-Benz S-Class is firmly in the country, while domestic brands such as NIO and Yangwang have seized the market through the positioning of “million-level luxury”. It is worth noting that among the sales of luxury models of more than 500,000, the M9 in Wenjie has achieved a leading position and has become a representative of domestic high-end SUVs. Industry experts believe that in the next three years, domestic luxury brands are expected to achieve a comprehensive surpassing of BBA in the million-level market.

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