According to the latest Vehicle Inventory Alert Index (VIA) survey published by the China Automobile Dealers Association, the VIA for car dealers reached 63.2% in September 2026. This represents an 8.7 percentage point increase year-on-year and a 0.9 percentage point rise month-on-month, keeping the index above the warning threshold. The survey highlighted that 54.2% of dealers felt that the peak season impact of the traditional "Golden September and Silver October" period had diminished compared to previous years. Additionally, 33.7% believed that the peak season effect had largely vanished, while only 3.6% reported improved performance. Despite the flurry of new model releases by manufacturers and heightened promotional activities by dealers in September, terminal sales growth remained lackluster, with the traditional peak season exerting a limited boost on consumer demand. Overall, it is projected that terminal retail sales of passenger vehicles will reach around 1.65 million units in September.