Surpassing Japan, Chinese Cars Win "Global Sales Champion" in 2025

【Global Times Reporter Yang Shasha, Special Correspondent Wang Hui】The website of Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported on the 21st that in the 2025 global new car sales ranking, Chinese auto brands have surpassed Japanese automakers in overall sales, claiming the “world champion” title. China’s total global annual auto sales increased by 10% year-on-year, approaching 27 million units; Japanese automakers’ sales slightly declined to around 25 million units. This is the first time since 2000 that Japan’s auto industry has lost its position as the world’s top seller. BYD and Geely ranked 6th and 8th respectively on the list, becoming China’s top-selling brands and runner-up.

Number of brands on the list and sales both surpass Japanese companies

Based on comprehensive data from major global automakers’ 2025 sales figures and survey data from the global automotive information platform McKinsey & Company, Nihon Keizai Shimbun concluded that Chinese automakers’ growth momentum is particularly notable compared to global manufacturers. Among the top 20 automakers, Chinese brands are the most numerous—namely BYD, Geely, Chery, Changan, SAIC, and Great Wall—each achieving over 7% sales growth, with one more than Japanese automakers. This performance far exceeds that of automakers from other countries.

The report suggests that Chinese automakers are accelerating their shift from export-based models to localized production. Data shows that BYD’s overseas sales of passenger vehicles (including pickups) in 2025 first surpassed 1 million units, with overseas sales accounting for approximately 10%-20%. In global electric vehicle sales, BYD has also overtaken Tesla from the US to top the list. BYD responded to the Global Times on the 22nd, stating that overseas markets have become an important growth engine for the company. In 2025, its cumulative overseas sales of passenger vehicles and pickups reached 1.0496 million units, a 145% increase year-on-year. Currently, BYD’s new energy vehicles are available in 119 countries and regions worldwide. Future key markets for expansion include the Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East and Africa.

The report also states that Geely’s sales are projected to grow by 23% in 2025, reaching 4.11 million units, ranking 8th and rising two spots from the previous year. The company’s goal is to increase its global sales to over 6.5 million units by 2030, with overseas sales accounting for more than one-third of total sales. Chery has set a sales target of 3.2 million units in 2026, a 14% increase over 2025.

From US-Japan rivalry to Chinese surpassing

At the end of last year, analysts from the Japanese auto industry predicted that Chinese automakers would surpass Japanese companies in sales by 2025. Nihon Keizai Shimbun noted that the global auto market was once a US-Japan rivalry, with Japan reaching nearly 30 million units in sales in 2018. At that time, Japan’s lead over Chinese brands was about 8 million units, but within just three years, this gap was erased and overtaken.

By 2025, among Japan’s seven major passenger car manufacturers, except Toyota and Suzuki, the others experienced declines in annual sales. Honda’s sales saw the largest drop among the top 20 automakers, decreasing by 8% year-on-year to rank 9th, dropping one position from 2024. The analysis indicates that due to the strong competitiveness of Chinese domestic brands, Honda’s sales in China plummeted to 640,000 units, a 24% decrease year-on-year. Honda recently announced that its consolidated net loss for the fiscal year ending March 2026 could reach up to $4.3 billion, marking its first loss since listing. Nissan, Japan’s third-largest automaker, also faces financial difficulties, with sales down 4% to 3.2 million units, ranking 11th—its first time out of the top ten globally since comparable data became available in 2004. Regionally, Nissan’s sales in Japan declined the most, down 15% to 400,000 units.

Japanese media: the gap may further widen

Nihon Keizai Shimbun believes that currently, in some emerging overseas markets, Chinese automakers are expanding their market share, while Japanese companies are planning withdrawals. Information indicates that BYD and Geely are interested in acquiring Nissan’s factory in Mexico. Japanese automakers must further improve their cost competitiveness, or the gap with Chinese brands will continue to widen.

“By 2026, Chinese automakers are expected to continue reshaping the global auto sales landscape,” said Standard & Poor’s in its early 2024 global automotive industry outlook report. Looking ahead, automakers that can flexibly deploy regional production capacity, develop targeted new energy vehicle promotion strategies based on market conditions, and actively adopt new technologies will thrive. The report specifically mentions that as Chinese auto brands deepen their global integration, their strategic influence on shaping the future of the overseas auto industry is growing increasingly significant.