Top 10 largest car manufacturers in the world in 2025: BYD and Geely rise rapidly in the rankings.
The 2025 global automotive industry rankings show a strong surge from Chinese competitors. BYD officially surpassed Tesla in electric vehicle sales, while Toyota maintained its absolute leading position.
The 2025 global automotive industry rankings have been officially finalized after Stellantis Group released its financial report on February 26th. The biggest highlight this year is the presence of three Chinese automakers in the top 10 largest car manufacturers in the world.
A new order in the global automotive landscape.
The top positions remained unchanged, with Toyota, Volkswagen, Hyundai Motor, and General Motors (GM) continuing to hold the top four spots. Stellantis Group maintained its fifth position with sales exceeding 5.4 million vehicles, thanks to an 11% growth in the second half of last year.
Notably, Nissan has officially dropped out of the top 10 list of automakers, making way for the rise of BYD, SAIC, and Geely Holdings. BYD has climbed to sixth place with total sales of 4.602 million vehicles. In particular, the company's all-electric vehicle sales reached 2.2567 million units, a 27.86% increase year-on-year, officially surpassing Tesla to become the world's number one electric vehicle manufacturer in terms of sales volume.
| Rankings in 2025 | Change | Car company | Sales in 2025 (million) | Sales 2024 | Growth | Main brand |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | — | Toyota | 11.32 | 10.82 | 4.65% | Toyota, Lexus, Hino, Daihatsu |
| 2 | — | Volkswagen | 8.98 | 9.03 | -0.51% | Porsche, Audi, Volkswagen, Škoda... |
| 3 | — | Hyundai | 7.27 | 7.23 | 0.60% | Hyundai, Kia, Genesis |
| 4 | — | GM | 6.18 | 6.00 | 3.03% | Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac |
| 5 | — | Stellantis | 5.48 | 5.42 | 1.27% | Peugeot, Jeep, Fiat, Citroën... |
| 6 | +1 | BYD | 4.60 | 4.27 | 7.72% | BYD, Denza, Yangwang, Fang Cheng Bao |
| 7 | — | SAIC | 4.51 | 4.01 | 12.33% | Roewe, MG, IM Motors, Wuling |
| 8 | -2 | Ford | 4.40 | 4.47 | -1.68% | Ford, Lincoln |
| 9 | +2 | Geely | 4.12 | 3.27 | 26.03% | Geely, Volvo, Zerok, Lynk & Co... |
| 10 | -1 | Honda | 3.52 | 3.81 | -7.53% | Honda, Acura |
Driving force from the domestic market and supportive policies.
According to data from China's Ministry of Finance, programs supporting the purchase of used cars generated revenue of over 2.6 trillion yuan (equivalent to $380 billion) in 2025. More than 11.5 million used cars were traded, with new energy vehicles (NEVs) accounting for nearly 60%. This directly boosted purchasing power for domestic car manufacturers.
Cui Dongshu, Secretary-General of the China Passenger Car Association, said that the global market share of Chinese automakers reached 35.6% in 2025, an increase of 1.4 percentage points from the previous year. SAIC and Geely surpassed Ford and Honda in the rankings, respectively. Geely recorded its fifth consecutive year of growth and for the first time reached the milestone of 4 million vehicles sold annually.
Pressure from exports and technological innovation
Not only do Chinese automakers dominate the domestic market, but they are also expanding aggressively internationally. China's car exports have surpassed 7 million vehicles, making the country the world's leading car exporter. Of these, BYD achieved overseas sales of 1.05 million vehicles (a 145% increase), while SAIC reached 1.071 million vehicles.
Commenting on this rapid development, Oliver Blume, Global CEO of Volkswagen Group, emphasized that China is now not only a consumer market but also a source of innovation and a strategic technology partner. Fields such as software, artificial intelligence, and battery technology are reshaping the standards of the entire global automotive industry.
