Shanghai (ZXZC)- In January 2020, 5,946 consumers in China bought the Mandatory Liability Insurance for Traffic Accidents of Motor Vehicle (MLI) for EVs made by Chinese startups, according to the China Insurance Regulatory Commission, a bit fewer than that of the month-ago period.

Affected by the Spring Festival holiday and coronavirus outbreak, most automakers suffered decrease in Jan. new vehicles sales. According to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), the country's NEV sales were estimated to plunge 54.4% year on year to 44,000 units last month, of which the PV volume reached 39,000 units, tumbling 54.5%.

EV startups were influenced by the overall market climate as well, while the impact was comparatively mild due to the lower base volume. 

Among the top 10 startup-made models by Jan. insurance registration, the NIO ES6 took the championship with a volume of 1,483 units. The most noticeable change is that the Leading Ideal One leapt to the runner-up place, followed by the Xpeng G3 and the NETA N01. The WM EX5, previously a regular among the top 3, dropped to the fifth place. Besides, the WM EX6 Plus, WM Motor's second production model that hit the market at the 2019 Auto Guangzhou, also entered the top 10 list.

NIO

Last month, there were 1,600 users buying the MLI for NIO's first two mass-produced models, making the startup outperform its rivals in term of the insurance volume.

“We achieved satisfactory results in January despite the outbreak of novel coronavirus,” said William Bin Li, founder, chairman and chief executive officer of NIO. “During this period, the safety of our employees and users remains our top priority.”

(Photo source: NIO)

To support the fight against the sudden coronavirus outbreak, NIO promptly dispatched RMB30,000 worth of medical supplies to the battle line in the epicenter Wuhan. Before long, the NIO User Trust decided to donate RMB5 million to support the well-being of NIO users and others in need during the epidemic. 

NIO is speeding up the expansion of sales network to receive more orders in the future. To achieve that, the startup intends to beef up the cumulative number of its sales and service outlets—NIO House and NIO Space—to around 200 by the end of 2020, Wei Jian, NIO's Vice President of User Operations, said on January 16.

Leading Ideal

Unlike other BEV-focused startups, Leading Ideal's major hit product is a range-extended EV (REEV) model. After kicking off the delivery in last December, over 1,000 Leading Ideal Ones were handed over to consumers during the same month. The rising momentum has been maintained in January with the insurance registration amounting to 1,207 units.

(Photo source: Leading Ideal)

Leading Ideal said the in-car version of the popular messaging app WeChat will be introduced to its vehicles, one of highlights to the continuous OTA (over-the-air) software updates the startup is going to complete before May. The first-time OTA was launched on Jan. 15, involving the upgrades and improvements of audio system, battery management system, thermal management system and adaptive cruise control function.

During the outbreak, the REEV manufacturer donated RMB2 million to the frontline combating the epidemic.

Xpeng Motors

Xpeng Motors said it delivered 16,608 G3 BEVs throughout 2019. During the first month of 2020, the Guangzhou-based startup posted an insurance volume of 1,073 units, the second runner-up among Chinese startups.

(Photo source: Xpeng Motors)

The company launched the all-new version of the Xpeng G3 with the NEDC-rated range increased up to 520km.

On Jan. 28, Xpeng Motors decided to donate RMB3 million worth of medical supplies, including the urgently needed protective suits, goggles and medical masks, for the epidemic containment efforts.

HOZON Auto

HOZON Auto's NETA N01 was ranked the fourth with its Jan. insurance number reaching 1,025 units. The full-year deliveries of the small-sized all-electric SUV exceeded 10,000 units last year partly thanks to the company's successful marketing strategy.

(Photo source: HOZON Auto)

The NETA N01 is to-day offered in three variants based on NEDC-rated range—301km, 330km and 351km. Post-subsidy prices range from RMB66,800 and RMB79,900.

To help contain the coronavirus epidemic, the EV manufacture donated RMB1 million to Hubei Charity Federation.

WM Motor

WM Motor reported an annual delivery volume of 16,876 units for the year of 2019, outnumbering most rivals in China. However, it was obviously hit by the epidemic with its insurance volume slumping to 899 units (including the EX5 and the EX6 Plus) in Jan.

（Photo source: WM Motor)

Reportedly, the company's Wenzhou plant and the newly-unveiled Hubei manufacturing base are both hard-hit regions during the epidemic.

Despite the sales downturn, WM Motor still offered to Huanggang substantial amount of medical supplies, vehicles and cash, which are worth RMB4 million in total.