Chinese Brands Dominate 2025 Auto Market: BYD and Geely Take Top Two Spots as Japanese Brands Lag Behind

According to data released by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) on January 12, China’s narrow-definition passenger vehicle sales reached 23.744 million units in 2025, up 3.8% year-over-year. BYD ranked first with sales of 3.485 million units, capturing a market share of 14.7%. Geely Automobile followed closely behind with sales of 2.606 million units, surging 46.9% year-over-year—the highest growth rate among all automakers. FAW-Volkswagen ranked third, while SAIC Volkswagen, Changan, and Chery took the fourth through sixth spots, respectively. Among the top ten automakers, seven were domestic brands. Japanese brands barely held on with only FAW Toyota and GAC Toyota making the list, while Nissan and Honda fell out of the top ten. Overall, driven by the wave of new energy vehicles and intelligent technologies, domestic brands have comprehensively overtaken joint-venture automakers and now dominate the market.