New ‘BIG 6+1’ EV Group Reshapes China’s Auto Landscape, Nears BYD’s Sales
A new force is reshaping China's electric vehicle market, signaling that the era once defined by startups NIO, XPeng, and Li Auto has passed. A formidable new grouping of seven automakers, dubbed the "BIG 6+1," is now collectively challenging the dominance of market leader BYD, heralding a new and more intense phase of competition in the world's largest auto market.
This ascendant alliance—comprising Tesla Inc. and Chinese contenders Leapmotor Technology, Huawei's HIMA (Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance), Xiaomi Corporation, XPeng Inc., Li Auto Inc., and NIO Inc. —is rapidly consolidating market share. Their combined sales are now on the verge of eclipsing those of the BYD brand itself, a milestone that underscores a significant power shift.
According to insurance registration data from August 2025, the "BIG 6+1" collectively held a market share just 0.02 percentage points shy of the core BYD brand (comprising its Dynasty and Ocean series). The gap with the broader BYD Group, which includes its premium Denza, Yangwang, and Fangchengbao brands, has also narrowed dramatically from eight percentage points to just one over the past year.
With China’s new energy vehicle (NEV) penetration rate now exceeding 50%, this emerging trend points to an imminent market shakeout. A slate of high-profile model launches expected in September from HIMA, Li Auto, and NIO is poised to further accelerate the "BIG 6+1's" momentum, potentially making their collective challenge to BYD's leadership a permanent feature of the market.
A New Vanguard
The term "BIG 6+1" has emerged as a more accurate descriptor for the current landscape of leading "new force" automakers—defined as 21st-century companies that produce only NEVs without a traditional gasoline vehicle production license. The original trio of NIO, XPeng, and Li Auto, once symbols of China's EV boom, now find themselves in the lower half of this new group's sales rankings.
In August 2025, the individual market shares of the "BIG 6+1" were:
- Tesla: 2.81%
- Leapmotor: 2.52%
- HIMA: 2.19%
- Xiaomi: 1.79%
- XPeng: 1.71%
- NIO Group: 1.53%
- Li Auto: 1.40%
These seven entities represent three distinct waves of EV market entry. Tesla pioneered the movement in 2003, followed by the 2014-2015 wave that included NIO, XPeng, Li Auto, and a then-understated Leapmotor. The final wave came in 2021 with the establishment of HIMA’s AITO brand and Xiaomi’s auto division, effectively closing the door for new entrants.
Price and Positioning
The "BIG 6+1" compete across a wide spectrum of price points, creating distinct market niches. A weighted average selling price (ASP), calculated based on August 2025 sales and model pricing, reveals a clear hierarchy. HIMA commands the highest ASP at 381,000 yuan, followed by Li Auto (349,000 yuan) and Tesla (296,700 yuan). In the mid-range are NIO (268,500 yuan) and Xiaomi (261,400 yuan), with XPeng (178,200 yuan) and Leapmotor (129,800 yuan, or $17,900) targeting more mass-market segments.
This pricing structure is dynamic. HIMA’s and Li Auto’s ASPs are expected to decrease with the launch of more affordable models, while Xiaomi and NIO are projected to see their ASPs rise with new premium offerings. Meanwhile, XPeng’s focus on its lower-priced Mona sub-brand will likely continue to pull its average price down. This strategic positioning allows the group to cover nearly every major price segment from 100,000 yuan to over 500,000 yuan.
Scale and Strategy
In terms of physical presence and product strategy, the "BIG 6+1" employ varied approaches. Leapmotor and HIMA lead in retail scale, each operating networks approaching 1,000 stores. Li Auto and XPeng form a second tier with 600-700 locations each, while Xiaomi and Tesla maintain more focused networks of 300-400 stores. Combined, the group's retail footprint is beginning to rival the scale of BYD's sprawling 4,000-plus store network.
Product lineups are generally lean. Most brands, including Li Auto, NIO, XPeng, and Leapmotor, feature around seven core models. Tesla achieves its leading position with just a few highly successful models. HIMA, through its multiple sub-brands, offers a slightly larger portfolio of ten vehicles, with its AITO brand serving as the primary volume driver.
The Race for Dominance
The convergence of the "BIG 6+1's" sales with BYD's marks a critical inflection point. As a group of "pure-blood" NEV makers, their combined strength is reshaping market dynamics. Together, the "BIG 6+1" and the BYD Group now account for approximately 30% of China's total auto market and a commanding 60% of the NEV segment.
The sustained rise of this new alliance suggests that the competitive battleground is no longer about individual startups but about powerful, multi-brand ecosystems. As the "BIG 6+1" continue to close the sales gap, the market is entering a new chapter where consolidation accelerates and the "elimination race" among automakers truly begins.