Nio ES8 ranked No. 1 in the luxury pure electric market, Li ONE ranked No. 1 in the mainstream plug-in hybrid market, and Xpeng P7 ranked No. 1 in the mid-size pure electric sedan market.

If you want to gauge the consumer appeal of local brands in China's NEV market, then a new study provides a good reference.

In terms of vehicle product design and consumer appeal, China's new car makers maintain an absolute lead, according to the NEV-APEAL scores released today by consumer insight and market research firm J.D. Power.

This is the second year J.D. Power has released the NEV-APEAL scores in China, which measures the experience of NEV owners in owning and driving their vehicles within two to six months of purchase.

J.D. Power surveyed 5,686 owners from March to May, covering 65 models from 36 brands, with questions covering a variety of areas including appearance, range and charging experience.

The overall NEV-APEAL score for China's NEV market improved from 735 points last year to 739 points in 2022, out of 1,000 points.

Among them, the local new car makers still maintain their absolute lead with a score of 758, higher than the 744 points of the joint venture brands. China's local traditional brands scored 731 points, 8 points below the overall average.

In terms of specific models, this year's NEV-APEAL scores cover six segments, with the top spot in each segment being taken by local brands.

No rankings were given in the luxury plug-in hybrid segment this year, as the segment does not yet meet the requirements for compiling the scores, according to the J.D. Power report.

The Nio ES8 ranked first in the luxury pure electric vehicle market, Li Auto's Li ONE ranked first in the mainstream plug-in hybrid market and Xpeng Motors' P7 ranked first in the mid-size pure electric sedan market.

BYD Song Plus BEV ranks No. 1 in the mid-size pure electric SUV market, GAC Aion Y ranks No. 1 in the compact pure electric vehicle market, and Neta V ranks No. 1 in the small pure electric vehicle market.

China's local new car makers continue to lead by an absolute margin not only due to their unique product concepts, but also from clear product positioning and the pursuit of product design, according to Yang Tao, General Manager of J.D. Power China's Automotive Products Division.

A unique understanding of the Chinese market and efficient execution make the local brand's products truly built for the user, he added.

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