The 2026 Chengdu Auto Show has opened. Currently, a pattern dominated by pure electric vehicles in the new energy vehicle market has taken shape. However, at this auto show, the lineup of extended-range models has not only not been reduced, but has instead ushered in concentrated new ones: such as the Xiaomi Pengcheng N70 Max, N90 Max, Xiaopeng G9L Super Extended Range Edition, Chery Jaguar Land Rover Freelander 8 and other new and modified extended-range models were unveiled. On the one hand, the penetration rate of pure electric vehicles continues to rise and the market share is steadily expanding. On the other hand, the sales of extended-range vehicle tracks continue to decline in the industry, but extended-range vehicles have bucked the trend and gathered together to participate in the exhibition, forming a strong contrast.

Relevant data shows that in the first half of 2026, domestic wholesale sales of extended-range passenger vehicles were approximately 500,000 units, down 13.1% year-on-year; the total domestic retail sales were approximately 440,000 units, down 19.4% year-on-year, and the decline expanded month by month. The continued decline in sales and the lively auto show lineup have made the "tightening" trend of extended-range vehicles more prominent: they are not favored by the industry but persist tenaciously, their products continue to iterate but their sales are weak, and the experience is infinitely close to pure electric vehicles but it is always difficult to break through the growth bottleneck. Is this craze to counter the trend in participating in exhibitions an attempt to break through with extended range technology or a "last attempt" before the end?

The more "frustrated", the more courageous the increase

At present, it has become an industry consensus that extended-range vehicles are gradually marginalized. With the iteration of battery technology and the popularization of overcharging infrastructure, the core advantage of "solving mileage anxiety" of early extended-range models has been largely eliminated. Coupled with the policy tightening of technical standards for hybrid and extended-range models, many car companies have reduced their extended-range production capacity and stopped replacing extended-range models since 2026, and bearish sentiment in the industry continues to spread. However, judging from this Chengdu Auto Show, the extended-range car track has taken on a completely different look: not only are new forces continuing to increase their numbers, but traditional car companies are also filling their positions, forming a trend of expanding against the trend.

At the auto show, Xiaomi Automobile unveiled its dual product lines of pure electric and extended range on the same stage for the first time. The two new extended range SUVs launched feature large batteries and long pure electric driving range, aiming at the high-end home market; Xiaopeng brought the G9L Super Extended Range version, which complements the power matrix of the flagship model; Chery Jaguar Land Rover restarted the Freelander brand and launched the luxury all-terrain extended range SUV Freelander 8, which launched the high-end market segment. Different from the early generation of extended range products of "small battery + range extender", the new extended range models unveiled at this auto show are all moving towards super extended range of "large batteries, high-purity electric driving range, and low feed fuel consumption". Upgrade in the direction, the pure electric driving range generally exceeds 400 kilometers, daily commuting can be completely pure electric, and the experience has become infinitely closer to that of pure electric vehicles.

This product iteration logic confirms the core survival logic of extended range car tracks: actively weakening the attributes of the internal combustion engine and comprehensively moving closer to the pure electric vehicle experience. Some analysts believe that car companies are gathering together to launch super-extended range models not blindly bucking the trend, but seizing the blank area of the current market. Domestic over-charging infrastructure has not yet achieved full coverage, and shortcomings in energy replenishment still exist in third-and fourth-tier cities, counties and remote areas. At the same time, mileage anxiety about long-distance self-driving and high-frequency cross-city travel has not been completely eliminated. The characteristics of super-extended range "can be used for oil, electricity, and no energy replenishment anxiety" just suit the needs of this segment.

Yang Jigang, a researcher in the automotive "New Four Modernizations" industry and partner of Zhixing Taolue, said: "The iterative core of super extended range is to cut off the attribute connection with traditional fuel hybrids and complete the transformation of a pure electric experience. The pain points of energy replenishment for pure electric vehicles still exist. Super extended range is not a commitment to transitional technology, but an adaptation to segmented scenarios. This is also the core reason why it can continue to iterate despite the decline in sales." At a time when the industry is fully "rolling" in pure electric driving range and smart driving configuration, Super Extended Range avoids competition in the Red Sea and maintains the living space with differentiated scenarios. This is the core confidence for it to resist the trend and continue to iterate.

The trump cards and dilemmas of the new forces

Due to policy reasons, the new car-building forces could only choose electric and extended-range vehicles at the beginning of their establishment. Layout of extended-range vehicles was one of the best solutions for the new forces to implement car-building projects in the early stages. In the early years, domestic new energy industry policies clearly supported pure electric technology routes. New power car companies lacked the accumulation of internal combustion engine technology and mature supply chain systems of traditional car companies. If traditional power or plug-in technologies were deployed, they would not only face policy barriers, but also fall into positive competition with joint ventures and independent traditional car companies. On the other hand, range-extension technology has a simple structure, low research and development threshold, and fast landing speed. It does not require deep polishing of internal combustion engine technology. It only needs to integrate motors, batteries and simple range extenders to quickly launch mass production models, perfectly adapting to the new forces."The initial development needs of" entering the game and seizing the market ".

Cui Dongshu, head of the Passenger Federation Branch of China Automobile Dealers Association, said: "The gathering of new forces to increase range automobiles is a product of the times and is a typical strategic choice forced by policies and technology. In the early days, the infrastructure of pure electric vehicles was imperfect, the market acceptance of pure electric vehicles was low, the traditional hybrid route was tightened by policies, and new forces had no technological accumulation and supply chain advantages. Extended program technology was the only track that could be implemented quickly. This strategic layout laid the foundation for today's pattern."

But this "innate choice" has also become an acquired constraint on the extended-range track. With the maturity of pure electric vehicle technology and the gradual improvement of energy replenishment infrastructure, the core advantages of extended range vehicles continue to weaken, but the inherent shortcomings continue to be highlighted: energy consumption efficiency is not excellent and long-term maintenance costs are high. This has formed the core contradiction of the extended-range car track: new forces rely on extended-range cars to establish a foothold in the market and complete original accumulation, but they are also bound to this track that continues to weaken, making it difficult to transform. Even if many new forces are aware of the decline in the extended-range automobile market, they can only continue to iterate on extended-range products and dare not easily give up existing product lines and user groups, falling into a passive situation of "having to do it, but having to do it is difficult to grow".

Judging from market feedback, this passive persistence has long been reflected in sales fatigue. Since 2026, sales of extended-range models have continued to shrink. Except for a few brands that have maintained positive growth, sales of extended-range models of most car companies have dropped sharply year-on-year. Even if product iterative upgrades have been completed and configurations continue to rise, it is difficult to reverse the market decline. This situation of "more and more embarrassing the more iteration" is the result of the binding of new forces by routes.

The fate of "twisted bar"

Throughout the development process of extended-range vehicles, they have always been in the contradiction between "expectations of being eliminated" and "tenacious survival", forming a fate of "twisting": when the industry is in decline, it can always rely on the advantages of the scene to survive; When the industry is optimistic and products are concentrated on iteration, sales have never fallen short of expectations, making it difficult to break through the growth ceiling. The bucking enthusiasm of this year's Chengdu Auto Show once again amplified this "twisted" market situation. Cui Dongshu believes: "The continued decline in sales of extended-range vehicles in this round is not a short-term off-season fluctuation, but a structural turning point formed by the maturity of pure electric vehicle technology and the strategic shift of car companies and the tightening of policies. The dividend cycle is over."

But behind the bleak data, range-extended cars have not completely lost their market value. From the perspective of segmentation scenarios, in the large domestic SUVs and long-distance travel just-needed markets, super extended range models still maintain a stable audience. Compared with the uncertainty of energy replenishment of pure electric vehicles, the super range-extended model of "pure electric transportation, extended range bottom" adapts to the travel needs of multiple scenarios. This differentiated value allows range-extended cars to retain niche market segments even if they exit mainstream tracks.

The "distortion" of range-extended vehicles is caused by the mismatch between "positioning of transitional technologies" and "products that continue to iterate." The industry has always regarded extended-range technology as a transition solution for the popularization of pure electric vehicles, and believes that it will eventually be replaced, so it has not been optimistic for a long time; however, the continuous technological iteration of car companies has allowed extended-range vehicles to get rid of the shortcomings of the initial generation of transitional products., adapted to specific segmentation scenarios and allowed to survive for a long time. At the same time, the differentiation of the consumer market made it impossible for extended-range vehicles to replicate the rapid growth of their early years. They could only maintain a stable niche, ultimately forming a "tepid and dilemma" pattern.

Some analysts believe that the current extended-range car track has long bid farewell to the golden age of large-scale growth and no longer has the potential to become the mainstream of the industry, but it will not withdraw from the market. It is retreating from "national new energy choice" to "specific scenarios just need to choose", completing the ultimate transformation of track positioning, which is also its only survival path in the era of pure electric vehicles.

The carnival of extended-range cars against the trend at the Chengdu Auto Show is not a signal that the situation has turned around, but the final gesture of extended-range cars to complete their self-positioning and stick to market segments. From the early market "dark horse" to the mid-term controversy, to the current cracks, the "twisted" fate of extended-range vehicles is the result of the interweaving of multiple factors such as iteration, policy orientation, corporate strategy, and user needs of the new energy vehicle industry. This "last fight" is not a struggle before the end, but an accurate return to the range-extended car track. In the future new energy vehicle market, pure electric vehicles will be the absolute mainstream, but extended-range vehicles will exist as an important supplement for a long time in sub-scenarios such as home, long-distance, and remote travel. Extended-range vehicles will not die out and will hardly rise again. They will only hold their own market segments in the wave of mainstream pure electric vehicles and become an important footnote for the diversified development of the new energy vehicle industry.

Source: China Auto News

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