BYD
比亚迪
The world's largest new-energy vehicle maker. Vertically integrated from batteries to chips. Sells in 96 countries.
Sub-brandsDenza, Yangwang, Fang Cheng Bao
Founded1995
HQShenzhen
FocusEV / Hybrid
Brands
The Brand Index
A field guide to the Chinese automakers shaping the next decade — from century-old state giants to startups born in the EV era.
6
Legacy Groups
5
New-Energy Startups
20
Group Sub-Brands
31
Brands Total
Section 01 · Legacy Groups
Legacy Groups
State giants and decades-old private conglomerates. Multi-brand portfolios, deep manufacturing, global export footprints.
Geely
吉利
Parent of Volvo, Polestar, Lotus, Zeekr, Lynk & Co. The most diversified Chinese auto group with global footprint.
Sub-brandsZeekr, Lynk & Co, Volvo, Polestar, Lotus
Founded1986
HQHangzhou
FocusMulti-brand group
Chery
奇瑞
China's #1 passenger-car exporter. Strong in Russia, Middle East, Latin America. Sub-brands include Omoda, Jaecoo, Exeed.
Sub-brandsOmoda, Jaecoo, Exeed, iCar
Founded1997
HQWuhu
FocusMass-market export
Great Wall
长城
Pickup and off-road SUV specialist. Brands include Haval, Tank, Wey, Ora. Major exporter to Australia, Thailand, Brazil.
Sub-brandsHaval, Tank, Wey, Ora
Founded1984
HQBaoding
FocusSUV / Pickup
SAIC
上汽
State-owned giant. Owns MG — the British marque now powering Europe expansion — plus Maxus, Roewe, IM Motors.
Sub-brandsMG, Maxus, Roewe, IM Motors
Founded1955
HQShanghai
FocusState automaker
Dongfeng
东风
State group with EV sub-brands Voyah (premium) and M-Hero (off-road). Strong Russia presence post-2022.
Sub-brandsVoyah, M-Hero, Aeolus, Nammi
Founded1969
HQWuhan
FocusState automaker
Section 02 · New-Energy Startups
New-Energy Startups
Born after 2014. Pure-play EV companies redefining design, software and ownership experience.
NIO
蔚来
Premium EV with battery-swap network. Europe push via Norway, Germany, Netherlands. Sub-brands Onvo and Firefly target lower segments.
Founded2014
HQShanghai
FocusPremium EV
Xpeng
小鹏
Tech-first EV brand with the most advanced city-level autonomous driving in China. Mona and P7+ pushed scale in 2025.
Founded2014
HQGuangzhou
FocusSmart EV / ADAS
Li Auto
理想
Family SUV specialist. EREV pioneer with the L-series; MEGA and i-series push pure EV. China's most profitable new-energy startup.
Founded2015
HQBeijing
FocusFamily EREV / EV
Leapmotor
零跑
Vertically-integrated value EV maker. 51% owned by Stellantis since 2023 — the only Chinese new-energy startup with a Western OEM partner driving global rollout.
Founded2015
HQHangzhou
FocusValue Smart EV
Xiaomi
小米
Phone-maker turned car-maker. SU7 sedan and YU7 SUV ignited global attention with Porsche-rivalling performance at half the price.
Founded2021
HQBeijing
FocusSmart EV
Section 03 · Group Sub-Brands
Group Sub-Brands
Independent marques operating under legacy groups. Built to chase specific segments, often with separate teams and brand identities.
Parent
Geely Family
5 brands
Part of Geely
Zeekr
极氪
Geely's premium EV arm. Performance-focused with the 001 shooting brake, 7X SUV and 009 luxury van. Listed on NYSE 2024.
Founded2021
HQHangzhou
FocusPerformance EV
Part of Geely
Lynk & Co
领克
Co-developed with Volvo on the CMA platform. Subscription model in Europe; the 09 SUV and 03 sedan defined the brand's sharp, urban design language.
Founded2016
HQHangzhou
FocusCrossover / Coupe
Part of Geely
Polestar
极星
Volvo's former tuning house turned standalone Swedish EV brand under Geely. Polestar 2 took on the Model 3; Polestar 4 introduced the rear-screen-instead-of-window cabin.
Founded2017
HQGothenburg
FocusPerformance EV
Part of Geely
Volvo
沃尔沃
Swedish heritage brand owned by Geely since 2010. Pivoting fully electric with the EX90 flagship and the EX30 compact — built in China for global markets.
Founded1927
HQGothenburg
FocusSafety / Premium
Part of Geely
Lotus
路特斯
British sports-car legend revived by Geely. The Eletre hyper-SUV and Emeya GT mark the all-electric reinvention; the Evija remains its 2,000 hp halo.
Founded1948
HQHethel
FocusSports / Hyper EV
Parent
Great Wall Family
4 brands
Part of Great Wall
Haval
哈弗
Great Wall's mainstream SUV brand. Best-selling Chinese SUV brand globally — H6 is a phenomenon in emerging markets.
Founded2013
HQBaoding
FocusSUV
Part of Great Wall
Tank
坦克
Great Wall's off-road sub-brand. The boxy Tank 300, 500 and 700 channel Defender and G-Wagon DNA — and dominate China's overlanding boom.
Founded2021
HQBaoding
FocusOff-road SUV
Part of Great Wall
Wey
魏牌
Great Wall's premium PHEV brand named after founder Wei Jianjun. The Blue Mountain (Lanshan) flagship targets Li Auto's family-SUV territory.
Founded2016
HQBaoding
FocusPremium PHEV
Part of Great Wall
Ora
欧拉
Retro-styled compact EV brand from Great Wall, positioned for younger and female drivers. The Good Cat became a viral success in Thailand and Australia.
Founded2018
HQBaoding
FocusFemale-focused EV
Parent
BYD Family
3 brands
Part of BYD
Denza
腾势
Originally a BYD–Mercedes joint venture, now fully under BYD. The N7 SUV, D9 luxury MPV and Z9GT shooting brake anchor the premium NEV push.
Founded2010
HQShenzhen
FocusPremium NEV
Part of BYD
Yangwang
仰望
BYD's ultra-luxury halo brand. The U8 SUV can tank-turn and float on water; the U9 supercar hits 309 km/h. Quad-motor e4 platform showcases BYD's tech ceiling.
Founded2023
HQShenzhen
FocusUltra-luxury NEV
Part of BYD
Fang Cheng Bao
方程豹
BYD's personality-driven adventure brand. The boxy Bao 5 and Bao 8 PHEVs sit between Tank and Yangwang — built on the DMO super-hybrid off-road platform.
Founded2023
HQShenzhen
FocusAdventure SUV
Parent
SAIC Family
3 brands
Part of SAIC
MG
名爵
British sports-car heritage brand acquired by SAIC in 2007. Now China's most successful export brand in Europe — Cyberster revives the convertible roadster, electric.
Founded1924
HQShanghai
FocusGlobal affordable EV
Part of SAIC
Maxus
大通
SAIC's commercial-vehicle and MPV arm. The Mifa 9 luxury electric people-mover and electric pickups have made it a major fleet export brand.
Founded2011
HQShanghai
FocusCommercial / MPV
Part of SAIC
IM Motors
智己
A SAIC + Alibaba + Zhangjiang joint venture targeting smart-luxury EVs. The LS6 SUV and L6 sedan with semi-solid-state batteries showcase next-gen tech.
Founded2020
HQShanghai
FocusSmart Luxury EV
Parent
Dongfeng Family
2 brands
Part of Dongfeng
Voyah
岚图
Dongfeng's premium new-energy brand. The Free SUV, Dreamer MPV and Zhuiguang sedan compete head-on with NIO and Li Auto in the 300-500k RMB segment.
Founded2018
HQWuhan
FocusPremium NEV
Part of Dongfeng
M-Hero
猛士
Dongfeng's ultra-luxury off-road brand rooted in military vehicle heritage. The M-Hero 917 is a 4-motor 1,088 hp electric Defender-fighter.
Founded2022
HQWuhan
FocusHardcore off-road
Parent
Chery Family
3 brands
Part of Chery
Omoda
欧萌达
Chery's global-first crossover brand. The Omoda 5 and electric E5 spearhead expansion into the UK, Australia, Latin America and the Middle East.
Founded2022
HQWuhu
FocusGlobal crossover
Part of Chery
Jaecoo
捷酷
Chery's rugged-design SUV brand, a sister to Omoda. The Jaecoo 7 PHEV launched in the UK and Europe with 1,200 km combined range.
Founded2023
HQWuhu
FocusRugged SUV
Part of Chery
Exeed
星途
Chery's premium SUV brand. The Exeed VX flagship and Yaoguang/Lanyue line aim upmarket with E0X EV platform and Huawei smart-cabin integration.
Founded2018
HQWuhu
FocusPremium SUV