In response to industry buzz data on the launch of more than 500 new cars in the first half of the year, Li Yanwei, an expert from the China Automobile Dealers Association, said on social platforms today that from January to June 2026, there will only be about 165 new domestic models, and the claims of 500 to 600 models circulating on the market are not strict. Li Yanwei explained that more than 500 models are combined statistics of models+various configurations and derivatives. “For example, a newly launched model has three configurations. This can be counted as 1 model and 3 models; if the 165 models in the first half of the year, with different configurations, there may be 500 to 600 models; but if you say 500-600 models, it's not strict.” Previously, many media outlets used wide-caliber statistics, saying that there were 550 new cars in January-May and over 600 in the first half of the year, triggering discussions within the industry.

In response to industry buzz data on the launch of more than 500 new cars in the first half of the year, Li Yanwei, an expert from the China Automobile Dealers Association, said on social platforms today that from January to June 2026, there will only be about 165 new domestic models, and the claims of 500 to 600 models circulating on the market are not strict. Li Yanwei explained that more than 500 models are combined statistics of models+various configurations and derivatives. “For example, a newly launched model has three configurations. This can be counted as 1 model and 3 models; if the 165 models in the first half of the year, plus different configurations, there may be 500 to 600 models; but if you say 500-600 models, it's not strict.” Previously, many media outlets used wide-caliber statistics, saying that there were 550 new cars in January-May and over 600 in the first half of the year, triggering discussions within the industry.