Chinese Car Brands

In the past few decades, China's automobile industry has developed rapidly. Now it has become the world's largest automobile producer and new car consumer market, and automobiles are an important part of China's economy.

While Chinese car brands were initially focused on producing low-cost, compact cars, the industry has rapidly expanded to include a wider range of vehicle types and segments. In recent years, Chinese automakers have also invested heavily in research and development and are increasingly producing higher-end vehicles and luxury cars.

China has set several records as the world's largest car market:

In 2009, China became the world's largest car market, with 13.64 million new vehicles sold, for the first time surpassing the United States (10.34 million). This country has topped the global new car sales list for 14 consecutive years until 2022 (2009-2022).

In 2013, both new car sales and annual vehicle production in China exceeded 20 million—making China the first country to do so.

In 2022, BYD (BEV+PHEV, 1,857,549) has overtaken Tesla (1,499,908) as the world's best-selling electric car maker, with 18.4 percent of the global market.

China's ascension to the top spot in automobile exports in 2023 marked a historic moment, breaking the longstanding dominance of Japan and Germany in the industry.

This achievement was propelled by several key factors:

China's automobile industry experienced remarkable growth, consistently ranking first globally in production capacity and sales over consecutive years.

Continuous enhancements in the quality and competitiveness of Chinese automobile products, making them increasingly appealing to international markets.

Rapid advancements in intelligent driving and automotive power battery technology by companies such as BYD, Huawei, and CATL, bolstering China's automotive industry across various sectors.

The expanding demand for new energy vehicles globally, with China positioned as a major player in electric vehicle (BEV+PHEV) production and export, leveraging its technological innovations and market presence in this sector.

In recent years, China has witnessed the emergence of numerous new car brands at a rapid pace. Let's take a look, Which car brands are on the list.

Chinese Car Manufacturers

The Chinese traditional "Big Four" car manufacturers are FAW Group, Dongfeng, SAIC Motor and Chang’an. Other Chinese car manufacturers are Geely, Beijing Automotive Group, Brilliance Automotive, Guangzhou Automobile Group, Great Wall Motors, BYD, Chery and Jianghuai (JAC Motors).

Privately held Geely, best known abroad as the owner of Sweden’s Volvo Cars, is one of China’s biggest independent automakers.

The following are 13 major passenger car manufacturers in China in:

Luxury Car Brands

Hongqi has become the top luxury vehicle brand in China. The Hongqi L5 is called "Chinese Rolls Royce" because of its high price, which is as high as more than 5 million yuan.

WEY is a marque owned by Great Wall Motor as the first Chinese luxury SUV brand. It is focused specifically on crossover SUVs and It also recently debuted its first smart luxury off-road SUV, the Tank 300.

List of Chinese Car Brands

BYD is currently the most popular independent car brand in China due in large part to its success in the electric vehicle market. Followed by Geely, Changan, Chery, Haval, and Great Wall.

The Chinese car market is highly competitive, with numerous domestic and foreign brands vying for market share. While some brands like BYD and Geely have achieved significant success in recent years, the rankings can shift quickly as market conditions and consumer preferences change.

Chinese Electric Car Brands

There are many electric vehicles (BEV) makers in China, as the country has become one of the largest markets for EVs in the world.

These are just a few of the many Chinese EV makers that are making waves in the industry. As the demand for electric vehicles continues to grow, it is likely that more companies will enter the market and compete for market share.

Some of the most well-known Chinese EV makers include:

Truck Brands (Medium, Heavy-duty)

In China, heavy-duty trucks are defined as those with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of 14 tons to 100 tons (30,864 to 220,462 pounds), and medium-duty trucks are defined as vehicles with a GVWR of between 6 and 14 tons (13,227 to 30,864 pounds), where GVWR is defined as the weight of the vehicle itself plus the weight of the passengers and cargo.

Of the top 10 truck producers in China, all are local companies. The top five truck producers include FAW Jiefang, Dongfeng, Sinotruk, Shaanxi Auto, and BAIC Foton, companies that are household names in China, but are unknown elsewhere.

Buses, Coaches

China as the world's largest bus manufacturer supplies nearly 50% of buses in the global market. The top five bus manufacturers include Yutong Bus, King Long, Xiamen Golden Dragon Bus, Zhongtong Bus, Higer Bus.

Yutong is the world‘s largest bus manufacturers by sales volume of large and medium-sized buses and coaches. It has ranked first globally for 9 consecutive years and first in China’s bus industry for 17 consecutive years.