BYD and GAC Aion Combine for 197,000 ASEAN Units in H1 2026 — Chinese EVs Reshape Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia

The first half of 2026 cemented Southeast Asia as the most strategically important overseas region for BYD and GAC Aion. Combined, the two Chinese brands delivered approximately 197,000 units across Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia — outselling every legacy Japanese EV-and-PHEV competitor in the region by a wide margin and signaling that the ASEAN passenger-car landscape is being structurally reshaped, not just opportunistically penetrated.

The Combined Picture

BYD took 148,000 units (75% of the combined figure); GAC Aion delivered 49,000 (25%). Versus combined H1 2025 figures of roughly 132,000 units (BYD 104,000, Aion 28,000), the aggregate growth rate is 49% year-on-year. BYD continues to lead by absolute volume, but Aion’s +75% YoY growth rate is faster and is incrementally narrowing the gap. The mix is also shifting toward PHEV: about 41% of BYD’s Malaysian H1 volume was PHEV (Sealion 6, Seal U PHEV) — well above the 22% PHEV share BYD records globally.

Thailand Anchors, Indonesia Surges, Malaysia Margins

Thailand remains the single largest ASEAN market for both brands. BYD delivered 58,000 H1 units (Atto 3, Dolphin, Seal, plus the new Sealion 6 PHEV since its Q1 launch), and GAC Aion 22,000 (Aion Y Plus dominating, with the ES sedan and V SUV in support). Thailand’s EV-friendly excise tax (capped at 2% for qualifying battery EVs versus 8–35% on ICE) and BYD’s Rayong assembly plant — exporting throughout ASEAN since mid-2024 — are the structural drivers.

Indonesia is the most strategically important 2026 expansion target. BYD delivered 52,000 units (Atto 3, Seal and the M6 MPV sized for the Indonesian family-hauler segment), Aion 14,000. Local-content rules are tightening, and BYD’s Subang facility is targeting first qualifying production in late Q3 2026. Malaysia is the smallest of the three but contributes high-margin deliveries — 38,000 BYD units and 13,000 Aion units — and CKD assembly arrangements with both brands have provided cost advantages over full imports.

Model Bench and H2 Outlook

Across all three markets, the BYD Atto 3 was the single best-selling model with about 51,000 H1 deliveries, followed by the Sealion 6 PHEV (28,000), Seal (22,000), M6 MPV (16,000, almost entirely Indonesia) and Dolphin (14,000, Thailand and Malaysia). On the Aion side, the Y Plus led with 32,000 units, with the ES and V combining for 17,000. Indonesia local assembly coming online late Q3 should reduce BYD landed costs by 8–12%, Aion’s Vietnam launch (Q4) and BYD’s Philippine entry (Q4) add new geography, and combined ASEAN full-year 2026 volume should approach 420,000 units. For the full country-by-country pricing snapshot, model mix and H2 risk decoder, see iEVChina’s full BYD & GAC Aion ASEAN H1 2026 review.

Source: official disclosure / iEVChina analysis