Summary of the main current premium brands in China: rise of Chinese carmakers
- If we summarise the various analyses on Chinese premium brands that are developing in China for an affluent clientele and are starting to arrive in Europe to compete with Audi, BMW, Mercedes and Porsche, we find that these Chinese premium brands represent a production volume of 2.1 million cars in 2025, or 7% of Chinese car production, but are constantly increasing, while non-Chinese premium brands represent 9% of Chinese car production (2.8 million units) and have been constantly declining since 2024.
- Let us summarize here the different Chinese Premium brands in descending order of production in 2025:
• Hongqi (FAW): 450,000 units,
• Xiaomi: 400,000 units,
• Zeekr (Geely): 210,000 units,
• NIO: 165,000 units,
• Voyah (Dongfeng): 150,000 units,
• Denza (BYD): 145,000 units,
• Avatr (Changan): 120,000 units,
• Exeed (Chery): 100,000 units,
• Wey (Great Wall): 100,000 units,
• IM Motors (SAIC): 80,000 units,
• Luxeed (Chery): 40,000 units
• Yang Wang (BYD): 5,000 units.
- Hongqi is therefore the leading Chinese premium brand, benefiting from its status as a traditional automotive supplier to the Chinese government and high-ranking officials. Its product range, however, became more accessible in the 2010s and 2020s, targeting a wide variety of customers, but always affluent ones.
- Xiaomi (second Premium brand) is very recent and has had a spectacular breakthrough in the Chinese market from the start (one of the brand's two models, the Xiaomi SU7, was the 10th best-selling models in China in 2025).
- The other ten or so Chinese premium brands are linked to each of the largest Chinese automotive groups.