Automobile manufacturers are frantically competing for next year's orders. Ten automakers are paying for purchase tax subsidies, including Xiaomi, Li Auto, and Chery.

Ten automobile manufacturers have collectively introduced purchase tax subsidy policies.

On October 26th, Chery Automobile announced on social media that it has launched the "Peace of Mind Purchase" purchase tax subsidy program. It will fully subsidize eligible users for the cost difference caused by the adjustment of the purchase tax policy, ensuring that users will not bear additional purchase tax expenses due to cross - year invoicing. The maximum subsidy amount per vehicle does not exceed 15,000 yuan.

▲ Chery Automobile announces the purchase tax subsidy program

The applicable models are some brand models under Chery (Chery, Zongheng, EXEED, Jetour, iCAR), including all products that meet the technical requirements of new energy vehicles with reduced purchase tax in 2026 (pure - electric passenger cars, plug - in (including range - extended) hybrid passenger cars). The specific models are subject to the tax - reduction vehicle catalog released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

It's not just Chery. The purchase tax subsidy policy has recently become a collective action among automobile manufacturers. According to an incomplete statistics by CheDongXi, ten automobile manufacturers have announced similar purchase tax subsidy policies.

▲ Statistics of automobile brands announcing purchase tax subsidy policies

With only two months left before the subsidy for new energy vehicle purchase tax is phased out, automobile manufacturers are intensively launching preferential programs. Behind the manufacturers "paying out of their own pockets" for purchase tax subsidies is the fierce competition in the automotive market, which leads to manufacturers "grabbing orders". Considering that some manufacturers have long delivery cycles, they are starting to use the "window period" of the new energy purchase tax adjustment to boost sales.

01.

Ten Automobile Manufacturers Subsidize Purchase Tax within One Month

Striving to Prevent Loss of Undelivered Orders

Automobile manufacturers have concentrated on launching purchase tax "guarantee" programs in the past month, mainly related to the long waiting time for vehicles and the rush to meet the year - end order volume.

In terms of delivery time, there are still nine weeks left in 2025. Taking the Xiaomi YU7 model, for which Xiaomi Automobile offers purchase tax subsidies, as an example, the official website of Xiaomi Automobile currently shows that the estimated delivery time for the Xiaomi YU7 Pro after order confirmation is 42 - 45 weeks. That means both some consumers who have confirmed orders before and those who confirm orders now will definitely be affected by the purchase tax policy.

▲ The estimated delivery time of Xiaomi YU7 Pro shown on the official website of Xiaomi Automobile

Another model under Xiaomi Automobile, the Xiaomi SU7, will also definitely be affected by the purchase tax policy. Currently, the official website of Xiaomi Automobile shows that the estimated delivery time after order confirmation for the Xiaomi SU7 Pro version is 30 - 33 weeks.

▲ The estimated delivery time of Xiaomi SU7 Pro shown on the official website of Xiaomi Automobile

The pure - electric SUV Li i6 under Li Auto will also be affected. Currently, according to the official website of Li Auto, if you pay the deposit and confirm the order now, the estimated delivery time is within 16 - 19 weeks.

▲ The estimated delivery time of Li i6

During the traditional peak automotive sales seasons of "Golden September and Silver October", automobile manufacturers are constantly launching new models to attract consumers. Combined with the adjustment of the purchase tax policy, some consumers who don't want to increase their car - buying costs may turn to models that can be delivered more quickly. This makes manufacturers with long delivery times face the risk of losing customers. Launching the purchase tax "guarantee" policy can reduce this situation to a certain extent.

In addition, announcing a clear purchase tax "guarantee" policy early will also give consumers a sense of security and encourage them to confirm orders before the policy deadline.

It can be seen that among the manufacturers offering purchase tax "guarantees", the deadline for order confirmation to enjoy the purchase tax "guarantee" is often the end of November or October. Even for AITO, Zhijie, and Zunjie under Hongmeng Smart Mobility, the deadline for order confirmation for the purchase tax "guarantee" policy is November 3rd.

▲ The deadline for the purchase tax subsidy of the new AITO M7

02.

The Purchase Tax Discount Will Be Halved Next Year

A Car with an Invoice Price of 339,000 Yuan Will Incur an Additional 15,000 Yuan in Purchase Tax if Invoiced Next Year

The reason for the "unified" purchase tax subsidy actions of automobile manufacturers is the Announcement on Continuing and Optimizing the Policy of Exempting and Reducing the Purchase Tax on New Energy Vehicles jointly issued by the Ministry of Finance, the State Taxation Administration, and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in 2023.

▲ Announcement on Continuing and Optimizing the Policy of Exempting and Reducing the Purchase Tax on New Energy Vehicles

The Announcement clearly states that new energy vehicles purchased between January 1, 2024, and December 31, 2025, are exempt from vehicle purchase tax. For each new energy passenger car, the exemption amount does not exceed 30,000 yuan. For new energy vehicles purchased between January 1, 2026, and December 31, 2027, the vehicle purchase tax is halved. For each new energy passenger car, the reduction amount does not exceed 15,000 yuan. This is what is commonly referred to as the "phase - out of purchase tax discounts" or "halving of purchase tax discounts".

Currently, the formula for calculating vehicle purchase tax in China is 10%×[invoice price÷(1 + VAT rate of 13%)] (excluding the consumption tax on ultra - luxury cars). A simple calculation method is usually to directly divide the vehicle invoice price by 11.3. According to calculations, for a car with an invoice price of 339,000 yuan, the vehicle purchase tax is exactly 30,000 yuan. That is to say, for a car with an invoice price of 339,000 yuan, if it is invoiced this year, the purchase tax is exempted, while if it is invoiced next year, there will be a purchase tax of 15,000 yuan.

If the vehicle invoice price is below 339,000 yuan, taking the Xiaomi YU7 mentioned above as an example, the price of the Xiaomi YU7 Pro is 279,900 yuan. If it is invoiced this year, there is no purchase tax, while if it is invoiced next year, about 12,400 yuan in purchase tax needs to be paid, which means an additional 12,400 yuan compared to this year.

▲ The price of the Xiaomi YU7 Pro model

At the same time, the phase - out of the purchase tax discount also affects cars with an invoice price above 339,000 yuan. Taking the new AITO M7 Extended - Range Ultra Six - Seat Edition as an example, its price is 359,800 yuan. If it is invoiced this year, 1,841 yuan in purchase tax needs to be paid, while if it is invoiced next year, about 16,800 yuan in purchase tax needs to be paid, which means an additional 15,000 yuan compared to this year. For all cars with an invoice price above 339,000 yuan, an additional 15,000 yuan in purchase tax will be incurred if invoiced next year.

▲ The price of the new AITO M7 model

Overall, using 339,000 yuan as the dividing point, for cars with a lower price, the additional purchase tax needs to be calculated based on the invoice price. As the car price increases, the purchase tax to be paid also increases. When the invoice price reaches 339,000 yuan or above, purchase tax needs to be paid this year, and an additional 15,000 yuan in purchase tax will be incurred next year.

In addition, the Announcement also clearly states that when selling new energy vehicles with the "battery - swapping mode", the new energy vehicle without the battery and the battery are accounted for separately in terms of sales volume and invoiced separately. Simply put, if you buy the whole car including the battery, the purchase tax is calculated based on the whole - car purchase price. If you buy in the "battery - swapping mode", the purchase tax is calculated based on the price without the battery.

▲ The purchase tax policy for new energy vehicles with the "battery - swapping mode" in the Announcement

Taking the new NIO ES8 as an example, the purchase price of the entry - level configuration of the whole car is 406,800 yuan. Since its invoice price is 339,000 yuan or above, purchase tax needs to be paid this year. If it is invoiced this year, the vehicle purchase tax is 6,000 yuan, while if it is invoiced next year, the vehicle purchase tax is 21,000 yuan, which means an additional 15,000 yuan.

▲ The entry - level whole - car purchase price of the new NIO ES8

After the new NIO ES8 adopts the Battery as a Service (BaaS) model, the entry - level price is 298,800 yuan. If it is invoiced this year, no vehicle purchase tax needs to be paid, while if it is invoiced next year, about 13,000 yuan in vehicle purchase tax needs to be paid, which means an additional 13,000 yuan.

03.

Conclusion: Automobile Manufacturers Are "Going All Out" to Grab Customers

The fact that automobile manufacturers are "paying out of their own pockets" to subsidize the changes in the new energy vehicle purchase tax policy and turning the purchase tax subsidy into a "competitive chip" is sufficient to show the intensity of the current competition in the automotive market.

Looking ahead to next year, due to the changes in the purchase tax policy and the uncertainty of car - replacement subsidies, the automotive market may experience even more "fierce" competition, especially at the beginning of the year. At the same time, perhaps some manufacturers will come up with new ways to deal with it.

This article is from the WeChat public account "CheDongXi". Author