Made-in-China EVs Capture 65-78% of Southeast Asia in H1 2026 as Local Assembly Becomes the Entry Ticket

Southeast Asia has crystallised as the most important non-China growth theatre for Chinese EV makers, and the H1 2026 numbers leave little doubt about who is winning. Across Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia, made-in-China brands captured an estimated 65-78% of all NEV registrations, with BYD, GAC Aion, MG and Wuling leading on a country-by-country basis. The underlying lesson is increasingly clear: local assembly is now the entry ticket, not import volume.

Country-by-Country Snapshot

Thailand remained the region’s largest BEV market with roughly 72,400 H1 registrations (+31% YoY) and Chinese brands at ~78% share. BYD held the lead (~20,400 units), MG followed (~10,200), and GAC Aion was the fastest grower at +62% (~6,100). Indonesia grew 78% YoY to ~43,800 units, with Chinese brands taking ~91% — Wuling still in front (~13,800) but BYD’s post-Subang ramp lifting it into second place (~11,500) and Aion exploding +220% to ~4,800. Vietnam remains VinFast’s stronghold (~28,500 units / ~63% share), with BYD ~8,700 the fastest-growing imported brand (+95% YoY). Malaysia tilts premium: BYD led with ~4,600, Tesla second (~3,300), Proton-Geely’s e.MAS 7 third (~2,400). For the full sortable league tables, per-model splits and trade-policy notes, iEVChina’s detailed ASEAN H1 2026 data report includes the granular city- and brand-level breakdowns.

Why Local Assembly Is the New Floor

Wuling-Cikarang has run since 2022. BYD’s Rayong plant now does AKD kits for ASEAN export, and the Subang complex in Indonesia began producing the Dolphin in March 2026. NETA assembles in Rayong; GAC Aion’s Banten plant entered serial production in Q2 2026. Brands without local plants are increasingly disadvantaged on duty exemptions and government-fleet eligibility — a structural disadvantage that explains Tesla’s -12% Thailand slide and Hyundai’s -31% Indonesia drop. Joint-venture vehicles (MG, Wuling, Proton-Geely) tend to outperform pure imports because they qualify for the carve-outs.

Strategic Takeaways

The narrative shift this half is the diversification beyond BYD. GAC Aion is the fastest grower regionally, MG is steady, Changan is closing on the leaders in Thailand (+88%), and Chery has climbed to third in Indonesia (+44%). Malaysia’s Proton-Geely e.MAS 7 — built on the Geely Galaxy E5 platform — shows how Chinese platforms can enter ASEAN through local-brand partnerships rather than direct sales. For Chinese OEMs, ASEAN in 2026 is no longer a beachhead. It is a real second home market.

Source: official disclosure / iEVChina analysis