China's 7 Largest Car Production Cities, Guangzhou (1st)

China's 7 Largest Car Production Cities

As the pillar industry of the manufacturing industry, the automobile industry marks the level of industrial development of a country and a region. In 1953, China's first automobile manufacturing base was established in Changchun, thus opening the prelude to the Chinese automobile industry. After 70 years of development, China has become the world's largest auto producer and seller, forming a number of cities with auto manufacturing as a pillar industry, such as Chongqing and Liuzhou, Guangxi province.

Nowadays, you've probably heard about China's booming economy and its reputation for manufacturing prowess. China has become the largest auto market in the world, and it will become the world's biggest producer of electric vehicles in 10 years with its strong manufacturing capacity and ample supply system. As China's auto manufacturing industry grows at an accelerated pace in the industrial revolution, it also provides impetus to the global auto industry. I'll take you a quick summary of 7 of China's largest car-producing cities in this article.

Here are the top 7 cities in China for auto production, based on 2021 annual production:

1. Guangdong (3.3846 million units)
2. Shanghai (2.8332 million units)
3. Jilin (2.4241 million units)
4. Hubei (2.099 million units)
5. Chongqing (1.998 million units)
6. Guangxi (1.9008 million units)
7. Anhui (1.5028 million units)

China's 7 Largest Car Production Cities

#1 Guangdong

3.3846 million units

The automobile manufacturing industry is one of Guangzhou's three pillar industries. Guangdong Province ranks first in China with a total production of 3.3846 million units in 2021; Guangzhou accounts for the largest component.

Guangzhou is a leader in reform and opening up. Its economy is very developed, attracting many foreign brands. Honda, Dongfeng Nissan, and Toyota have settled in Guangzhou. This has given rise to a pattern of automobile development dominated by joint venture brands such as Guangqi Toyota, Guangqi Honda, and Dongfeng Nissan. In 2010, GAC Group launched its first independently developed car—Trumpchi—which has gradually become an important part of GAC.

#2 Shanghai

2.8332 million units

China's 7 Largest Car Production Cities

In 2021, Shanghai ranked second in China with an annual vehicle production of 2,833,200.

Shanghai is one of China's economic center cities and a well-known financial center in the world. It has strong economic strength and has attracted many foreign brands, making it China's most important automobile manufacturing city. Shanghai has a number of joint ventures and independent car brands with SAIC as its core. Including SAIC-Volkswagen, SAIC-GM, SAIC-GM-Wuling, and as well as superior automobile brands. In 2018, SAIC Volkswagen sold 2.06 million vehicles in total throughout the year, ranking first in China's automobile market and topping the Chinese passenger car market for four consecutive years.

In addition, Tesla's new Gigafactory, which is expected to produce 500,000 pure electric vehicles per year (PEVs), also be located in Shanghai's Lingang area.

#3 Jilin

2.4241 million units

Changchun, in northeastern China, is the birthplace of China's automobile industry. It's known as the cradle of China's automobile manufacturing industry.

The first domestically produced car in China, the Jiefang, was born here. The automobile manufacturing industry is Changchun's first pillar industry; it has independently developed its own brand of car called "Hongqi," which makes the Chinese people proud! In addition, Changchun also has some joint ventures with famous automobile brands, such as FAW-Volkswagen, FAW-Audi, FAW-Toyota, and FAW-Mazda.

#4 Hubei

2.099 million units

Hubei is a city in central China that is home to many automobile manufacturing plants.

Hubei produced 2.099 million cars in 2021, placing fourth in China, next to Guangdong, Shanghai, and Jilin. But in the increasingly fierce competition in the electric vehicle industry in recent years, Hubei gradually lags behind other cities. As a result, many may be overtaken by other cities in the future!

#5 Chongqing

1.998 million units

China's 7 Largest Car Production Cities

Chongqing is one of the birthplaces of China's automobile industry. It has developed rapidly since the 1980s and was once the country's largest automobile production base. However, in recent years Chongqing has been surpassed by Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Changchun.

In cooperation with many foreign brands, Chongqing Changan has established joint venture brands such as Changan Suzuki, Changan Ford, and Changan Mazda and launched the CS series, EADO series, RAETON series, and other classic Chongqing-brand vehicles. Now Chongqing has production bases of Dongfeng Xiaokang, BAIC Group, Beijing Hyundai Chongqing Factory (aka Beijing Hyundai Motor), SAic-GM-Wuling Chongqing Base (aka Shanghai-GM-Wuling), and many other automobile enterprises.

#6 Guangxi

1.9008 million units

Liuzhou, a little-known prefecture-level city in southwestern China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, has become an absolute supporting force for the local economy. Its best performance once surpassed Chongqing, Beijing, and other big cities in the past and ranked as the fourth automobile manufacturing city in China.

Liuzhou's auto industry accounts for half of the city's industrial output. Thanks to the success of Shanghai GM Wuling and Baojun brands, Liuzhou has become an important auto city in China. Currently, Liuzhou has its own Wuling, Baojun, JOYEAR, LingZhi(MPV), and other independent brands.

#7 Anhui

1.5028 million units

Compared with other cities in China, Anhui is the only city that has enjoyed rapid growth in automobile production in 2021. The future of automobile production in Anhui is promising.

In 2021, the automobile output of Anhui Province exceeded 1.5 million units. The output of electric vehicles in the province reached 252,000 units—the highest in central China and a 1.4-fold increase on the previous year, making up 7% of China's total output.

Final Thought

Today, many foreign car brands are cooperating with local Chinese manufacturers. Whether the reason for this is China's large population, rapid economic growth, or relatively cheap labor costs is still up for debate. But whatever the reasons, there is growing interested in the Chinese market. So while China is still a relatively mysterious place for most Westerners, getting your brand into this friendly country is not too difficult.

If you are planning to set up a factory in China, this article will help you choose the best city for your needs and also save you some time researching such options.