In the late 20th century, top Chinese car brands grew rapidly in international car market share. With the rapid innovation in Information technology in China, Chinese car manufacturers have given tough competition to American and European car manufacturing giants, who have a legacy of dominating the vehicle manufacturing industry. Lower Production costs, a magnificent domestic market size, innovation in the supply chain, manufacturing efficiency, digitalization and smart connectivity, strategic marketing and brand development, and aggressive international expansion, all together helped China to take a global level advantage in manufacturing electric vehicles.
10 Major Chinese Car Brands
The following are the top 10 Chinese car brands;
- BYD Auto
- Geely Auto
- Saic Motors
- NIO
- FAW Group
- Changan Automobile
- BAIC Group
- Great Wall Motors
- Li Auto
- XPeng Motors
1) BYD Auto
The company was founded back in 1995. They are the largest producers of electric vehicles in the world. The company has the largest manufacturing facility in Xi’an China, along with that they also have manufacturing facilities in other parts of the world like Brazil. BYD operates in many continents of the world like Asia, Europe, and South America. They showed their presence in more than 30 countries of the world. The Company earned more than 602 billion yuan in revenue in 2023. BYD mainly produces Electric Vehicles (EVs), SUVs, Sedans, and Plug-in Hybrids, and their famous models include BYD Qin, BYD Tang, BYD Atto 3, and BYD Dolphin.
2) Geely Auto
The company was founded back in 1986. The company has the largest manufacturing facility in Ningbo China. They also have manufacturing facilities in other parts of the world like Brazil (South America) and Hungary (Europe). GEELY operates in many parts of the world like South East Asia, Europe, South America, and the Middle East. They showed their presence in more than 100 countries of the world. The Company earned revenue of approx.179.2 billion yuan in 2023. GEELY mainly produces Electric Vehicles (EVs), SUVs, Sedans, Hybrids, and MPVs. Their famous models include GEELY Coolray, Geely Emgrand, and Geely Azkarra.
3) SAIC MOTORS
The company was founded back in 1955. The company has the largest manufacturing complex in Shanghai China, The Company also contains sub-brands like MG, Baojun, and Roewe. SAIC Motors operates in many parts of the world like South Asia, Southern Africa, and Europe. They showed their presence in more than 30 countries of the world. The Company earned revenue of 14.1 billion yuan in 2023. SAIC Motors mainly produces Electric Vehicles (EVs), SUVs, Sedans, Hybrids and Compact cars. Their famous models include the MG ZS EV, MG Hector, and Roewe RX5.
4) NIO
The company was founded back in 2014. The company has the largest manufacturing facility in Hefei China, The Company only produces electric vehicles. NIO operates only in China with expansion plans in many parts of the world like America, Africa, and Europe. The Company has shown its presence only in China so far however recently they are planning to launch in Germany and Norway as well. The Company earned revenue of 55.62 billion yuan in 2023. NIO mainly produces Electric Vehicles (EVs), SUVs, and luxury Sedans. Their famous models include NIO ES6, NIO ES8, and NIO ET7.
5) FAW GROUP
The company was founded back in 1953. The company has the largest manufacturing facility in Changchun, Jilin Province of China. They also have manufacturing facilities in other parts of the world like Indonesia and Russia. FAW group operates in many parts of the continents like South East Asia, Europe, South America, and the Middle East. They showed their presence in more than 50 countries of the world. The Company earned revenue of 63.9 billion yuan in 2023. FAW Group mainly produces Electric Vehicles (EVs), sedans, trucks, and commercial vehicles. Their famous models include FAW Besturn, FAW Jiefang, and FAW Xiali.
6) Changan Automobile
The company was founded back in 1862. The company has the largest manufacturing facility in Chongqing China. Further, they also have manufacturing facilities in other parts of the world like Pakistan and Russia. Changan operates in many parts of the continents like South East Asia, Europe, and Africa. They showed their presence in more than 30 countries of the world. The Company earned revenue of 151.298 billion yuan, in 2023. The Changan mainly produces Electric Vehicles (EVs), SUVs, Sedans, and Commercial vehicles. Their famous models include Changan CS75, Changan Eado, and Changan Uni-T.
7) BAIC Group
The company was founded back in 1958. The company has the largest manufacturing facility in Beijing China. Moreover, they also have manufacturing facilities in other parts of China (like Zhengzhou) and the world. BAIC Group operates in many continents like South East Asia, Asia, and Africa. They showed their presence in more than 20 countries of the world. The Company earned revenue of 197.949 billion yuan in 2023. BAIC Group mainly produces Electric Vehicles (EVs), Sedans, Trucks, and Commercial vehicles. Their famous models include the BAIC EC Series and ARCFOX Alpha S.
8) Great Wall Motors
The company was founded back in 1984. The company has the largest manufacturing plant in Baoding China, The Company also contains sub-brands like Haval. Great Wall Motors operates in other continents of the world like South Asia, Africa, Europe and Australia. They showed their presence in more than 60 countries of the world. The Company earned revenue of approx. 173.21 billion yuan in 2023. Great Wall Motors mainly produces Electric Vehicles (EVs), SUVs, Pickup trucks, and, Hybrids vehicles. Their famous models include the Haval H6, Great Wall Wingle, and WEY VV7.
9) Li Auto
The company was founded back in 2015. The company has the largest manufacturing plant in Changzhou, Jiangsu province of China. Li Auto operates only in China with future expansion plans in Europe. The Company has shown its presence only in China so far however recently they are planning to launch in France and Austria as well. The Company earned revenue of 123.85 yuan billion in 2023. NIO mainly produces Extended-Range Electric Vehicles (EVs), SUVs, and Crossovers. Their famous models include Li One, and Li L9.
10) XPeng Motors
The company was founded back in 2014. The company has the largest manufacturing plant in Zhaoqing, Guangdong province of China. XPeng Motors operates only in China with future expansion plans in Europe. The Company has shown its presence only in China so far however recently they are planning to launch in Norway, Netherlands, and Germany as well. The Company earned revenue of 30.6 billion yuan in 2023. Xpeng Motors mainly produces Electric Vehicles (EVs), SUVs, and Sedans. Their famous models include XPeng P7, XPeng G3, and XPeng P5.
Conclusion
The top Chinese car brands’ became popular due to many reasons. The credit goes to the Chinese Government for providing platforms and opportunities to the companies to show their true potential. The Chinese government provided heavy subsidies to the automobile sector and made policies to encourage local manufacturers to export. The “Made in China 2025” plan was also a part of that initiative. Besides government support, some other factors also contributed to the rise of Chinese companies.
Investment in the Electric Vehicles technology was a brilliant and decisive move by the Chinese companies, along with that, the Chinese government also built a lot of EV charging infrastructure which gave these companies a global advantage in the production and research in EV technology.
FAQs
What is the Best Chinese Car Brand?
BYD Auto is the best Chinese car brand, founded in 2003. It has achieved impressive annual sales of 2,571,109 vehicles in 2023. The popular model is Atto 3.
What are the Big 6 Chinese Car Manufacturers?
The big six Chinese car manufacturers are FAW Group, SAIC Motor, Dongfeng, Changan Automobile, Geely, and Beijing Automotive Group.
What Is the No. 1 Selling Vehicle in China?
BYD SONG has ranked first in China’s best-selling vehicles in 2024 and is one of the most popular SUVs in China.
What is the Chinese Luxury Car Brand?
Hongqi is a Chinese luxury car brand that was launched in 1958, operated and owned by the automaker FAW Group.
