Go to China and you will see any number of Chinese car companies that you are not familiar with. Thanks to a largely local market demand, car ownership has been, and still is, very high in China which has allowed domestic producers to focus on supply to the home market as demand outstripped supply.
But now that supply has caught up with demand, it is inevitable that those domestic producers will start to shift their focus and eye-up global dominance.
With such a large home market it has been able for them to create economies of scale that would be the envy of any of the European or American producers. They have also come into the market when the clamour for green alternatives to gas powered vehicles is in full hysteria mode.
Listed below are top nine producers in no particular order, you may want to watch out for them.
9. GAC Group, aka Guangzhou Automobile Group
Figures for 2021 show that they shifted about 450,000 units but just two years later in 2023 sales exceeded 2.5 million vehicles. They also produce cars for Toyota and Honda and Mitsubishi and Stellantis.
Their future thrust will be in JV with Toyota to make affordable EVs
8. BYD, aka Build Your Dreams
One of the newer car companies being founded in 2003 when they bought the more established Qinchin Automobile Company. Last year they sold some 3 million vehicles and claim to be #1 in China. A lot of their cars are sleek EVs and they are already on a global push to secure a place at the big table. Just about all of their vehicles are SUV styled.
7. Dong Feng
Apart from making cars for Honda and Nissan and Kia and Peugeot, Dong Feng have an absolutely sprawling collection of brands. Their cars are sold under the brand names of Venucia, Fengdu Aeolus, Forthing, Voyah and of course Dong Feng itself and I am sure that most of you have not heard of any of them.
Sales of their cars was an estimated 2.25 million last year nearly all in China. In Europe they have tried to sell their light commercial vehicles.
6, FAW, aka First Car Factory
Famously the early partner of VW in China back in the 80s when they assembled the Scirocco with a boot which was also known (I Think) as the Savanah in some markets. By last year they were churning out some 3.5 million cars per year.
Their cars are made under names such as Bestune, Jiefang and Hongqi and only the latter is available in Europe and then mostly in the weird country of Norway.
5. Chery Automobile
Chery was one of the first Chinese manufacturers to try and venture outside of the Peoples Republic and when they did, their first cars absolutely bombed. As a result they still have scant coverage in developed markets and have focused on developing markets such as Brazil and Malaysia (where they have just relaunched).
One of the few Chinese companies to develop factories outside of China in any meaningful way they also allow their cars to be rebadged.
Marketed under the brand names of Chery, Karry, Exceed and Jetour they managed to shift 1.88 million cars in 2023.
We recently wrote about a faulty Chery that Chery has since, absolved itself of all wrongdoing.
4. SAIC, aka Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation
This company is the owner of the venerable British Brand MG, which they have completely destroyed in my humble opinion. They also own Maxus which is another ex-British brand having its roots go as far back as the Lancashire Steam Motor Company which was formed in 1896.
Their other brands are Feifan and Wuling the latter makes the most popular EV in China known as the Wuling Hongguang and like all the others have manufacturing contracts with the likes of VW, GM and Iveco.
The MG Brand is possibly the most successful Chinese manufactured car in Europe and most of Asia. Overall SAIC claim to move over 5 million cars last year.
3. GWM, aka Great Wall Motors
Producing vehicles under the names of Haval, Wey, Tank, ORA and of course Great Wall the company claims to be the largest manufacturer of SUV’s in China. They have not enjoyed much success overseas but at present are trying to appeal to Millennial buyers with their low priced but full of fun ORA Good Cat product, shame they can’t sell it in China.
According to the company’s reports they sold a mere1.2 million cars last year of which some 316,000 were sent overseas.
2. Geely Group
This is one of the Chinese manufacturers that has their eyes firmly fixed on overseas markets and also the one most of you may have heard of despite the fact that they have only been around since 1997. By acquiring key overseas brands such as Volvo, Lotus, and Proton and launching their own brands such as Lynk and Co, Polestar, Zeekr and Geometry.
Globally their sales increased by 22% last year to hit a new high of 2.79 million vehicles
1. Changan
With the central China HQ in Chongqing on the banks of the Yangtze River this automotive power house with links to Ford and Mazda this company regularly claims to be #1 in the market. They are State-Owned but are following the idea of others and are currently setting up factories in Europe to meet the demand there.
Their brands include Changan, Oshan and Kaicene across their main brands the actually only sold 2.35 million vehicles which is less than some of the others.
And there you have it 9 Chinese car companies that you should look out for. You may drive one in the near future.
