The ICE age is over: gas car sales drop 37% in world’s biggest market

Gas car sales have collapsed in the world’s largest auto market, dropping 37% year-over-year in April. As a result, 9 of the top 10 vehicles in China last month were plug-ins, with only a single one on the list sporting an ICE-only configuration.

The Chinese Passenger Car Association’s sales numbers are out for April, showing a decline in auto sales countrywide, including EVs – but a huge collapse specifically in gas car sales.

NEV (BEV + PHEV) sales have been somewhat down in China so far this year, mostly due to a change in incentive structures that led to more sales last year and fewer this year. Many have suggested this to be a problem for EV sales globally, as China had previously been the main driver in global EV sales growth in the last few years.

Global EV sales growth is instead happening in Europe and the “Rest of the World” in 2026 so far, though much of this growth has been driven by Chinese EV exports (which are up 111.8% year-over-year, and NEVs now represent a majority of Chinese auto exports).