CATL sold 661 GWh of lithium-ion batteries in 2025, reports profit growth

Chinese battery manufacturer CATL has reported net profits of CNY 72.2 billion ($10.4 billion) for 2025, up 42% on the previous year and outpacing revenue growth.

CATL sold 661 GWh of lithium-ion batteries in 2025, up 39% on the previous year. Revenue reached CNY 423.7 billion, up 17% year on year.

Growth for CATL comes as demand for battery energy storage systems (BESS) increases in leading energy markets globally, electric vehicle adoption continues, and analyst forecasts point to a significant ramping of electricity demand from AI data centers.

CATL reported its batteries have been installed in more than 24 million vehicles worldwide, and the company continued to rapidly expand its presence in the energy storage segment. CATL’s battery energy storage (BESS) shipments accounted for 30.4% of the global market in 2025, according to SNE Research, putting it first in market share for the fifth year in the succession.

Shipments from CATL’s energy storage system integration business grew by more than 160% year on year, according to the company’s 2025 annual report. The manufacturer has supplied approximately 2,300 projects worldwide.

CATL investment plans for 2026 include a major manufacturing capacity expansion. The company had 772 GWh of annual production capacity in 2025 and expects to have 321 GWh under construction by the end of the year.

Research and development investment continues to target future opportunities, with CATL reporting investment reached CNY 22.1 billion in 2025, and more than CNY 90 billion invested over the past decade. Recent additions to CATL’s portfolio include the second-generation Shenxing Superfast Charging Battery, Shenxing Pro Battery, Freevoy Dual-Power Battery, Naxtra Battery, and Super Hybrid Battery.

CATL said it expects to see wider adoption of sodium-ion batteries in 2026. The company is also deploying high-voltage, grid-forming energy storage technology in Shandong, China, to support a 40 GWh lithium-ion battery plant.

Other growth opportunities identified by CATL include expansion into the aviation and low-altitude sector as part of the company’s “all-domain growth” strategy. CATL subsidiary AutoFlight announced in February 2026 it had completed the first public flight of its 5-ton-class eVTOL aircraft. In the maritime sector, CATL reports its battery systems have received approval from five major international classification societies, based in China, the United States, Norway, France and Italy respectively.