China's top-selling car in January 2026 is not a Tesla
Xiaomi's YU7 just became China's top-selling car for January 2026, moving 37,869 units and leaving the Tesla Model Y far behind at 16,845.
That's a massive leap for Xiaomi, with sales up 124.8% over its rival—pretty wild for a brand that only launched its second model last year.
Model Y drops to 20th place
Tesla's Model Y took a big hit, dropping to 20th place in January 2026.
Sales fell sharply amid a pull-forward effect from record December 2025, the expiry and transition of city trade-in subsidies, and a weak overall NEV market, making it tough to keep up with new competition.
Xiaomi's rise in the automotive market
Xiaomi came in at number 10 in China's 2025 sales, with key models including the SU7 and YU7.
For context: BYD still leads the pack with three million cars sold last year, while Geely came in second at 2.6 million—but Xiaomi is clearly on the rise.