Toyota’s EV sales have jumped 127% through September, but that isn’t telling the whole story. Slumping demand for gas and hybrid cars in China has pushed global sales lower for three months in a row.
Toyota’s EV sales rise, but China drags on global results
Including Lexus, Toyota sold 309,766 battery electric vehicles (BEVs) globally through the first nine months of 2026, up 127.4% from the same period last year.
Except for January (+87.5%), Toyota’s EV sales have more than doubled every month this year compared with 2025.
The higher demand comes after Toyota and Lexus launched updated versions of their first-gen electric SUVs, the bZ4X (now the bZ in the US) and the RZ.
Toyota has added several new electric models, including the C-HR+ (C-HR in the US), bZ4X Touring (bZ Woodland in the US), and Urban Cruiser, while Lexus now offers the ES EV. Both brands will introduce a three-row electric SUV, which is expected to go on sale over the next few months.
According to data from Cleantechnica, the Toyota bZ4X became the 20th best-selling EV worldwide through August, with nearly 100,000 units sold.
While its EVs are catching on, Toyota Motor’s global sales fell for the third straight month in September.
Toyota sold 860,107 vehicles in September, down 2.2% from the previous year. The company said that although overall demand remained steady, sales in China fell, leading to lower overall sales than last year.
Through September, Toyota sold 7.51 million vehicles globally, down 3.4%. In China, Toyota’s sales plunged nearly 20%, marking its eighth consecutive month with lower sales.
Toyota said the overall market in China “remained weak due in part to rising gasoline prices, while the market for gasoline vehicles and hybrid vehicles was particularly affected,” resulting in lower sales.
In the first nine months of 2026, Toyota sold just over 1.05 million vehicles in China, 18.9% fewer than in the same period last year.
Toyota sells several electric vehicles through its two joint ventures (GAC Toyota and FAW Toyota) in China, including the bZ3, bZ3X, bZ5, and bZ7.
Electrek’s Take
After the US, China is Toyota’s second-largest market. Through September, Toyota has now sold more vehicles in its home market of Japan (1.19 million) than in China.
To turn things around and compete with companies like BYD, Toyota, like many major OEMs nowadays, is increasingly adopting more Chinese EV tech and manufacturing practices.
Nikkei reported in August that Toyota plans to build a new Lexus electric SUV in China, rather than in Japan as it has traditionally. Production is expected to begin at Lexus’ new manufacturing plant in Shanghai next fall.
The new Lexus EV will use advanced manufacturing methods, including gigacasting, to cut costs and speed up production.
Toyota isn’t the only legacy automaker struggling to keep pace in China’s fast-moving automotive market.
Volkswagen Group CFO and COO, Arno Antilitz, admitted the company “must act quickly and decisively” after reporting third-quarter sales in China dropped 38% to 405,800 units on Thursday. The company also plans to use technology developed in China for its next-gen EVs, which it will sell overseas.
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