China's Pickup Truck Sales Continue to Decline in May

China's pickup truck market remained under pressure in May 2026, extending the slowdown seen in April. Domestic sales declined on both a monthly and annual basis, although electric pickups continued to outperform the overall market and dual-fuel models posted the fastest growth.

According to compulsory traffic insurance registration data, excluding special-purpose pickup trucks and exports, China sold 18,283 pickup trucks in May, down 23.80% from April and 17.71% year on year.

Total sales for January-May reached 108,680 units, a decline of 8.17% from the same period last year.

Diesel pickups continued to dominate the market with 12,831 units sold, down 19.73% month on month and 15.45% year on year. Gasoline pickups totaled 2,954 units, falling 24.04% from April and 38.37% from a year earlier.

Battery-electric pickups reached 1,517 units, down 35.88% month on month but still up 8.13% year on year. Gasoline hybrid pickups sold 766 units, posting a 17.13% annual increase despite a sharp monthly decline. Gasoline/CNG dual-fuel pickups recorded the strongest performance, rising 13.25% from April and 104.35% year on year, making them the only powertrain segment to achieve month-on-month growth in May.

While overall demand remained weak, the figures indicate continued demand for electrified and alternative-fuel pickups despite the overall market slowdown.

Great Wall remained the market leader in May with sales of 8,098 units. JMC regained second place with 2,855 units, followed by Zhengzhou Nissan (1,965), Jiangxi Isuzu (1,431), Radar (1,139), Foton (571), JAC (567), SAIC Maxus (552), Changan (320) and Ford (275).

Top 10 Pickup Truck Brands by Retail Sales in China (May 2026)

Compared with April, JMC moved back to second place while Foton climbed to sixth. Zhengzhou Nissan slipped to third and SAIC Maxus fell to eighth.

Although every brand in the top ten reported lower monthly sales, Radar and SAIC Maxus recorded year-on-year growth in both May sales and cumulative sales for the first five months of the year. Zhengzhou Nissan also posted cumulative year-on-year growth of 28.91%.

Great Wall held a 44.35% market share during January-May, slightly lower than in the January-April period, while JMC increased its share to 15.20%, narrowing the gap with the market leader. Zhengzhou Nissan accounted for 13.96% of the market. Jiangxi Isuzu, Radar, Foton, SAIC Maxus and Changan all expanded their market shares to 7.16%, 4.16%, 2.98%, 2.92% and 1.55%, respectively.

China's new energy pickup segment totaled 2,283 units in May, down 41.39% from April but up 16.48% year on year. Battery-electric models accounted for 1,517 units, representing 66.45% of new energy pickup sales, compared with 60.74% a month earlier.

Although the year-on-year growth rate of the new energy segment slowed after several months of rapid expansion, battery-electric pickups continued to increase their market share. The figures indicate that battery-electric pickups continued to expand their share of the new energy pickup market even as the broader pickup market remains under pressure.

With overall demand softening and competition becoming increasingly fragmented, Electrification and differentiated products are becoming increasingly important to manufacturers seeking to strengthen their competitiveness in China's evolving pickup truck market.