April new car sales: Toyota holds top spot as Chinese brands gain momentum

New vehicle registrations climbed to 9863 units in April 2026, an 11.6% increase compared with the same month last year, when 8839 units were recorded. The result keeps the new vehicle market on a strong upward trajectory through the first four months of the year.

Passenger registrations led the gains, with 7110 units representing a 16.7% lift year-on-year from 6092. The commercial sector was effectively flat at 2753, up just 0.2% from 2747 in April 2025.

Chinese brands continue with strong momentum

Toyota remained the leading new passenger brand with 1440 registrations, up 7.9% year-on-year and giving the brand a 20.3% market share. Kia followed with 595 units (up 8.6%), while Mitsubishi dropped to third with 548 registrations, down 20.9% from 693 a year earlier.

GWM delivered the standout performance among established players, surging 139.2% to 445 units and climbing four places to fourth. Suzuki recorded 378 registrations (up 13.9%), MG posted 368 (up 22.3%), and BYD continued its rapid ascent with 310 units, up 148% from 125 in April 2025.

Mazda dropped 8.5% to 247 registrations, Hyundai slipped 15% to 204, and Honda lifted 16.3% to 186. Ford recorded 180 passenger units (up 10.4%).

Chinese brand growth defined the month. Jaecoo, in its first full year in the market, recorded 160 units, up 125.4% on April 2025 and including 89 registrations of the recently launched J5 BEV. Chery posted 151 units in what was effectively a launch-period comparison against zero a year ago. Dongfeng recorded 102 registrations, also coming off a zero base, while Zeekr’s 7X delivered 83 units in the brand’s continued ramp-up. Combined, the six Chinese brands GWM, MG, BYD, Jaecoo, Chery, and Dongfeng accounted for 1536 passenger registrations in April, more than double the 683 those same brands posted a year earlier and equivalent to 21.6% of the total passenger market.

Among the smaller brands, Audi rose 61.1% to 145 units and BMW lifted 22% to 133. Subaru dropped 19% to 128, Lexus eased 1.9% to 106, and Nissan fell 48.9% to 93 passenger registrations.

Haval H6 surges, RAV4 dominates SUV market

The Toyota RAV4 remained the best-selling new passenger model with 568 registrations, although that was down from 697 in April 2025. The Mitsubishi Outlander followed with 257 units (up from 253), and the GWM Haval H6 climbed to third with 245 registrations, up from 82 a year earlier.

The Toyota Corolla Cross recorded 213 units (up from 96), the Kia Sportage posted 204 (up from a position outside the top 20), and the Mitsubishi ASX dropped to sixth with 182. The MG ZS recorded 176 units, the Kia Stonic 152, the Toyota Landcruiser Prado 138, and the Hyundai Tucson 125.

The Suzuki Swift, Toyota Corolla, GWM Haval Jolion, Toyota Yaris, Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross, Toyota Yaris Cross, Ford Everest, Jaecoo J5, Mazda CX-5, and Zeekr 7X rounded out the top 20. The Jaecoo J5 result of 89 units in its first full month is a strong opening showing for the BEV, while the Zeekr 7X’s 83 registrations confirm the brand’s continued momentum.

Ford holds lead as Triton grows in commercial segment

Ford led the new commercial market with 837 registrations, up 11% year-on-year and edging Toyota’s 836 units by a single vehicle. Mitsubishi recorded the segment’s biggest gain, jumping 79.9% to 268 units on the strength of the new-generation Triton.

Isuzu rose 53.6% to 129 commercial registrations, BYD recorded 78 units (down 34.5% from 119), and Kia made its commercial debut count with 55 units from the new Tasman. GWM lifted 69.2% to 44, Geely’s Riddara RD6 posted 38 registrations in its launch month, and Hino added 38.

Nissan continued to suffer in the commercial space, falling 86.7% to just 29 units as the previous Navara wound down. LDV dropped 68.6% to 33 registrations, while Scania held steady at 31 and Volvo lifted 40% to 28.

The Ford Ranger remained the best-selling new commercial model with 753 registrations, up from 674 in April 2025. The Toyota HiLux followed with 607 (down from 644), the Mitsubishi Triton recorded 268, the Toyota Hiace posted 207, and the Ford Transit 84. The BYD Shark 6 recorded 78 units, the Isuzu D-Max also 78, the new Kia Tasman 55, the GWM Cannon 44, and the Geely Riddara RD6 38.

Year-to-date market tracking 12.9% ahead

Year-to-date new vehicle registrations now sit at 46,770 units, 12.9% ahead of the 41,417 recorded over the same four months in 2025. Passenger registrations are up 12.7% at 33,349 units, while commercial volumes have lifted 13.4% to 13,421.

April’s result extends the run of strong year-on-year gains across the new market, with passenger registrations now sitting 16.2% above April 2024 and just 4.9% above April 2019. The structural reshaping of the brand mix continues at pace, with Chinese marques collectively representing more than a fifth of passenger volume and the introduction of new entrants Geely, Jaecoo, Dongfeng, Chery, and Zeekr accelerating that share. The flat commercial result masks significant within-segment movement, with Mitsubishi’s Triton and Kia’s Tasman picking up volume that previously sat with Nissan and LDV.