Xiaomi is quiet, IM Motors has no customers, and Leapmotor has people lining up: we visited ten stores—who’s quietly getting rich?

Ask AI · Why did the Xiaomi SU7’s hype drop sharply within a week?

With the end of the first quarter of 2026 approaching, China’s domestic new energy vehicle market has already fought its first major battle of the year.

In March, the new-generation SU7 launched with momentum; Huawei AITO simultaneously rolled out nine models, using a 896-line laser radar to secure its lead in the intelligent driving track; Leapmotor A10 and IM L8 announced their official prices on March 26, boldly declaring their push into the market.

If we expand the timeframe to the entire first quarter, even Xiaopeng, Zeekr, Avatr, and Toyota have been keeping busy—each has released new models, with their own highlights.

The hype in the new energy market is definitely high, but what does the real situation look like?

Photo source: Electric Vehicle Times, captured by the production team

To find out, Electric Vehicle Times visited offline stores in Guangzhou, covering ten new energy brands including Xiaomi, Huawei AITO, Xiaopeng, Leapmotor, and others. The visits were conducted with no appointment throughout, aiming to recreate the most real on-the-ground frontline situation. The core commercial district for this trip basically gathered nearly all major new energy brands, and it is also the must-pass place where local consumers come to shop and choose vehicles.

In the end, the following represents Electric Vehicle Times’ firsthand observations of first-quarter new car market conditions.

Xiaomi’s hype ebbs, and Huawei AITO’s veteran lineup holds the stage

For the first stop, Electric Vehicle Times went to the hottest stores: Xiaomi and Huawei AITO.

Remember those first few days right after the new-generation SU7 launched? The store was packed with people; colleagues who had already booked test drives still had to wait half an hour just to get on a test drive at the time. Salespeople were so busy their feet barely touched the ground—yet after a week, going back was a completely different scene.

Photo source: Electric Vehicle Times, captured by the production team

The new-generation SU7 sits in the C-position of the showroom, but only a handful of people now gather around it. A few salespeople stood by waiting for customers to come in, and the scene was noticeably quieter than before. Electric Vehicle Times asked whether they could arrange test drives now. Their replies were very straightforward: “Yes, we can arrange it right away!”

The salespeople were also honest: “That wave at launch had very strong burst power. Everyone who wanted a test drive has already come by. And right now, there are simply too many choices in new energy vehicles. Users are in a more cautious, observing mood—so it’s impossible to be booked solid every day.”

Huawei AITO just released nine new models. We expected it to be as lively as Xiaomi’s SU7 launch, but the actual customer traffic at the store wasn’t as high as imagined.

On one hand, among the nine newly released models, only AITO M6 and AITO Z7 are entirely new products; the rest are annual refreshes and configuration upgrades.

On the other hand, these two core new models still haven’t fully rolled out test-drive vehicles at this stage. They don’t support real road dynamic test-drive experiences for now. For users who specifically come to the store to see the new models, at present they can only look at the exterior statically, get into the car and sit for a bit, and experience the infotainment system. To truly feel the vehicle’s powertrain, chassis tuning, and intelligent driving performance, they still need to wait patiently for subsequent vehicles to arrive at the store.

Photo source: Electric Vehicle Times, captured by the production team

A customer who came to see AITO M6 said, “I’m pretty interested in this car. I already placed a small deposit, but not being able to test drive is a bit of a pity. If I still think it’s not good after a test drive, I can get a full refund.”

What’s interesting is that at the scene, many users actually put their attention on AITO M8 and AITO M9. According to Electric Vehicle Times’ information, these users had already set their sights on M8 and M9. Since both new vehicles in this round have adopted 896-line laser radar, they felt the assisted driving experience should be better. With that in mind, they also felt more confident about buying now.

After going around, Xiaomi and Huawei AITO represent two completely different first-quarter rhythms.

Xiaomi’s burst power is still astonishing, but SU7’s hype also comes and goes quickly. In just one week, it went from lining up for test drives to “we can arrange it right away.” It’s not that the car isn’t good—it’s that there are simply too many new models this round directly targeting SU7. With the newly exposed AITO Z7 and the new Zeekr 007, users comparing options naturally increased.

On Huawei AITO’s side, nine cars released together boosted the noise level substantially, but since new cars can’t be test-driven, order conversion still needs to wait until April. In the end, it’s the older veterans like M8 and M9 that quietly support sales.

Xiaopeng keeps people with intelligent driving; Leapmotor A10 is the “lone star”

At the moment, the market hype for new cars is highly concentrated on brands newly pushing hard—Xiaomi, Huawei AITO, and the like. Xiaopeng and Leapmotor have also released new cars recently, but their hype is clearly not on the same level as Xiaomi and Huawei AITO.

When visiting Xiaopeng’s offline stores, Electric Vehicle Times found that most people gathered around to ask about the new Xiaopeng P7 and the upgraded second-generation VLA intelligent driving system. Many users are willing to pay for higher-level intelligent experiences and even proactively book deep test drives.

The contrast is quite strong. The 2026 MONA M03, which just arrived at the store and is about to launch, even though it’s placed closest to the entrance, has very few customers who stop to check it out.

Photo source: Electric Vehicle Times, captured by the production team

A consumer browsing the cars admitted, “I came because I was planning to buy the new P7 in the first place. What I care about is the second-generation VLA—this intelligent driving setup is really strong.”

The products Xiaopeng newly launched are mainly refreshed models and added models. They lack a heavyweight model with a full new-generation switch, which makes it hard to trigger the kind of hype in the market like Xiaomi and Huawei AITO do. As a result, most people choose to hold cash and wait, planning to decide after a heavyweight new model is released—or perhaps after the new-generation SUV Xiaopeng GX launches, which may improve the situation.

Next, look at Leapmotor. Since the store visit day happened to coincide exactly with Leapmotor A10’s launch, overall customer traffic beat the others by a slight margin. Within half an hour, five groups had entered the store, and all of them were there for the Leapmotor A10.

An older man who was viewing the cars strongly approved the vehicle’s space and storage capability. After opening the second-row seats, he muttered that he could put some configurations he doesn’t use often there—it’s indeed enough. The salesperson then took the opportunity to introduce highlights like the lowered trunk space and the laser radar. After listening, the man went straight to test drive.

Photo source: Electric Vehicle Times, captured by the production team

Staff said that Leapmotor A10’s pricing and configurations truly moved many people. Many customers had already done their homework online before coming in, and when they arrived they were there to order. But similar to Xiaopeng next door, the new model is a “single standout”—other models’ consultation volumes were clearly diverted away.

After walking around, the heat in the new car market shows increasingly clear differentiation. Xiaomi and Huawei AITO capture the center of attention by relying on new models and intelligent-driving labels. Xiaopeng and Leapmotor also have new cars to support the stage, but either they are refreshes or the “explosion” is concentrated on a single point. Compared with true “mass attention,” they still need that last push.

Ideal, NIO: steady and methodical, but they need to endure the quiet

Ideal and NIO, two new power (EV-focused) entrants, were relatively low-key in the first quarter. Although Ideal’s founder Li Xiang posted a new agentic Ideal L9 on social media, it still hadn’t launched. From offline store observations, Ideal and NIO stores’ foot traffic was indeed hit by some pressure, but their core customer bases showed very different states.

Ideal stores had two groups of prospective customers enter within half an hour, and both were families bringing along kids. Even though i-series models currently promoted by Ideal were at the entrance, they were still focused on the long-launched L series.

Sales consultants said, “Right now, customers who come to view are basically here for the L series. They care most about space and range. The extended-range system can solve range anxiety—that’s our core advantage.”

Photo source: Electric Vehicle Times, captured by the production team

In an adjacent NIO store, although customer traffic was about the same as Ideal’s, there were also some standout points.

Within half an hour, two groups of prospective customers also came into the NIO store. The first group was a second-child family looking at the NIO ES8. The couple seriously compared the configuration sheets in front of the display vehicle, asking very detailed questions about the battery swapping mode and the seat layout. A sales consultant patiently introduced NIO’s battery swapping network layout and the latest battery upgrade solution.

The second group was old owners bringing friends to check out the cars. “I’ve driven an ES6 for two years. There aren’t any major problems. Battery swapping is also convenient. Today I specifically brought my friend to experience it.” The old owner introduced things to the friend while also chatting with the sales team about the latest owner benefits.

Photo source: Electric Vehicle Times, captured by the production team

NIO’s sales staff had expected this situation early. This year, NIO’s key product focus is only the new NIO ES9, while other models are only small refreshes. Still, they remain confident, because NIO’s owner referral and introduction ratio has always been relatively high. And battery swapping and the service system are the key areas for NIO to retain existing customers and attract new ones.

Zeekr, Avatr, Toyota, IM: clear hype differentiation—who can break the deadlock?

Besides new power entrants, Electric Vehicle Times also visited the stores of four new energy brands: Zeekr, Avatr, Toyota, and IM.

The Zeekr 8X, whose pre-sale price was just announced, actually didn’t trigger the kind of hype people had expected. Zeekr set up a small booth in the mall in addition to its showroom, but attention wasn’t high either. Instead, the discount price officially released by Zeekr attracted more interest—several groups of customers came specifically for the discounts.

Electric Vehicle Times also encountered a young man on-site. He said, “I’ve looked at the Zeekr 8X. The configuration looks good, but I still want to wait until the discount for the 001 is even bigger before I buy.”

Photo source: Electric Vehicle Times, captured by the production team

Now Avatr. In this core commercial district, Avatr only has a small booth location. The store is several kilometers away, but even so, the Avatr booth car “Taishan” still attracted quite a crowd. Within half an hour, five customer groups arrived, and almost all of them came specifically for the Avatr Taishan. The appeal of the new model Taishan is evident.

A staff member told Electric Vehicle Times, “This Taishan’s vehicle positioning is pretty clear: big space, full configurations. The feedback from customers who came to view has been good.” However, he also said that passersby’s awareness of Avatr isn’t particularly strong. A lot of time in normal operations is spent explaining the brand. And it happens to coincide with Avatr recently挂牌上市, with brand-related information even shown in the booth car’s rearview mirror position.

Photo source: Electric Vehicle Times, captured by the production team

By contrast, Toyota and IM, both of which only recently started pre-sales for their new cars, are in a “waiting for the wind” stage.

When Electric Vehicle Times just arrived at Guangqi Toyota’s store, it happened to meet a group that had come back from a test drive. After getting out, they were still chatting with the sales staff about their impressions. The customers gave positive feedback on things like the Borizhi 7’s handling and quietness, and their intent seemed quite high.

But once that group left, the store returned to calm. Within half an hour, most customers who entered went directly to the gasoline vehicle display area, and hardly anyone stopped in front of the Borizhi 7 display car.

Photo source: Electric Vehicle Times, captured by the production team

A sales consultant admitted, “The Borizhi 7’s product strength isn’t bad. Customers who test drove it gave very good feedback. But right now, there are too many choices in new energy vehicles. Our brand’s customers have deep recognition for our gasoline vehicles. To shift users’ impressions of pure-electric models will take time.”

Still, some careful users pointed out an issue. They indicated a small side table on the right side of the second row. They said the design is linked with the front passenger seat: if the front passenger doesn’t notice someone has placed a coffee behind, then when you adjust the seat, the cup can tip over.

Photo source: Electric Vehicle Times, captured by the production team

IM LS8 currently only supports static experiences. Once customers hear that, they basically leave right away. A salesperson said, “The LS8’s hype isn’t low. The starting price under 260k yuan is quite competitive. But not being able to test drive does affect conversion. At most, it only helps leave leads.”

Photo source: Electric Vehicle Times, captured by the production team

Staff members haven’t noticed a small operational mistake: in the advertising board in front of the IM LS8, it still shows IM LS9.

Photo source: Electric Vehicle Times, captured by the production team

First-quarter market recap: it’s noisy, but conversion is what counts

This time, Electric Vehicle Times visited stores of ten new energy brands in total. The most direct takeaway from this round of visits is: traffic doesn’t equal sales.

Xiaomi and Huawei AITO became this quarter’s “traffic double giants.” Xiaomi SU7 relies on range upgrades, intelligent driving enhancements, and ecosystem collaboration, consistently capturing the 25 to 35 age group. In just one week, the store went from queuing test drives back to calm—but the order pipeline is still there. The real test now is whether delivery and reputation can carry the momentum forward afterward.

Huawei AITO rolled out nine cars together with big noise and presence, but since the new cars can’t be test-driven, the real conversion still needs to wait until April. Meanwhile, it’s the veteran models like M8 and M9 that quietly support sales.

Photo source: Electric Vehicle Times, captured by the production team

Xiaopeng, Leapmotor, and Avatr fall somewhere in the middle. Xiaopeng P7’s intelligent driving is indeed strong, but it lacks a full new-generation heavyweight model, making it hard to trigger the same level of hype as Xiaomi and Huawei AITO. Most consumers choose to hold back and observe. On Leapmotor A10’s launch day, within half an hour there were five customer groups rushing in for it—but other models attracted no one. A single-point explosion is hard to become a whole system. In Avatr’s core commercial district, it only has one small exhibition booth, but the new model Taishan still draws plenty of people to stop and look.

Ideal, NIO, Toyota, and IM stores’ hype levels are indeed not high, but their situations are very different.

Ideal didn’t release a heavyweight new model in the first quarter, yet it carved out a different path. Store traffic wasn’t particularly hot, but it wins on stability. Customers who come in basically go straight to the L series. Space and the extended-range system are Ideal’s moat, and order conversion has never stopped. The i-series models displayed at the entrance—the ones mainly promoted—ended up as supporting characters.

NIO, on the other hand, just landed in the awkward “new car gap period.” Still, thanks to battery swapping technology and referrals from existing customers, the number of new prospective customers has been slowly increasing.

Toyota’s gasoline-vehicle label is too deeply ingrained. The Borizhi 7’s product strength isn’t bad and customers who test drove it gave good feedback. But consumers simply can’t get around the fixed impression that “Toyota equals gasoline vehicles.” In the store, you rarely see people looking at pure-electric models.

IM LS8 has hype that isn’t low, and the starting price under 260k yuan is also competitive. But test-drive vehicles aren’t yet in place. Customers can only leave a lead and walk away after viewing the car—conversion is stuck at the key step.

Photo source: Electric Vehicle Times, captured by the production team

Brand power may be intangible and hard to measure, but once you walk into the store, the outcome is clear.

Xiaomi has a user base in the tech community; Huawei benefits from its technical reputation; Ideal builds differentiation through space and the extended-range system. These brands already come with built-in traffic. Even so, Toyota, IM, and others are still trying to break through consumers’ ingrained impressions.

Moreover, changes in the policy environment are also gradually influencing the new energy landscape. In 2026, the new energy vehicle purchase tax changes from full exemption to half-rate collection. Combined with the recent upward run of oil prices, the dual factors stack together and give the auto market a few subtle changes.

Many salespeople report that the number of customers entering stores has fluctuated quite a bit lately. When it’s busy on weekends, they can’t keep up. On weekdays, it’s so quiet it makes people uneasy. More importantly, users’ decision cycle has clearly lengthened: in the past, people would come in and talk about configurations and performance. Now, the first thing out of a user’s mouth is “What’s the out-the-door price?”

At the same time, the sustained rise in oil prices is quietly reshaping the customer mix. With 92-octane gasoline edging toward the 8-yuan mark, many “gasoline loyalists” have shifted to the new energy camp, and some sales teams sold multiple orders in a single day.

Photo source: Electric Vehicle Times, captured by the production team

So it’s true: opportunities only go to brands that are prepared. With the purchase tax halved, some brands put their effort into following up financial solutions, reducing the policy impact to the minimum. That’s obviously not wrong. But no one expected that rising oil prices could also unexpectedly give an extra push—delivering a conversion dividend of “gasoline loyalists” to the new energy market.

Policies are laid out in the open, but oil prices can change on the spot. Automakers being able to catch the obvious changes is a skill—but being able to seize the variables is the real skill.

Automakers race ahead right before auto shows—what they’re competing isn’t just new cars

The Beijing Auto Show in April is coming soon. It will be an important stage for new energy brands to demonstrate their strength and showcase new models. Some brands have even planned to complete new car launches before the show—for example, AITO M6, AITO Z7, IM LS8, and others visited this time. The goal is to further increase attention ahead of the auto show.

But the crowding of new cars is only the surface. In the next phase of the new energy auto market, it won’t be as simple as “whoever launches a new car can get hot.”

Consumers’ calculations are getting more precise. In the past, people might have chased hype, but now they compare configurations carefully. Young users focus on intelligence and value for money; family buyers want space and range; high-net-worth users look at brand and service. Different customer groups have different needs, raising the bar for automakers’ product R&D and market strategies.

To build good cars, to make the brand resonate, to let people touch the car in the store, and to make after-sales service feel trustworthy—if you miss on any of these, you won’t keep people. Automakers compete not only on low prices, but also on endurance.

So, the seating position on the auto market’s “brand table” will become increasingly blurred, and each brand’s tactics will gradually differentiate.

Some brands take a “high-stakes, high-profile” route, locking in high-end users with technology and brand premiums. Some take a “value-for-money and volume” route, grabbing the mass market with configurations and prices. Others choose “misaligned competition,” finding their place in niche segments. There is no standard answer for any single path. The key is whether you can fill your shortfalls and extend your long strengths.

The next competition won’t be a one-dimensional battle. Product, brand, channels, service, and price—none of these can slip. Whoever can bundle these together and keep running steadily will get to sit at the table for more rounds.

The first quarter is the warm-up—the second quarter is the real hard fight.

(Cover image source: Electric Vehicle Times, captured by the production team)