China will take the highest spot because the world’s best-selling automotive producer in 2025, outselling Japan for the primary time, as analysts forecast Geely will be a part of BYD within the high 10 best-selling world automotive manufacturers.
A Nikkei China report says Chinese language auto manufacturers will promote 27 million new automobiles globally in 2025, overtaking Japan’s projected 25 million gross sales.
Regardless of controversial automotive import tariffs in each Europe and america, China’s automotive business is about to interrupt Japan’s decades-long stranglehold on the highest spot for the primary time.
Home Chinese language gross sales will account for round 70 per cent of Chinese language model totals, the report stated, whereas exports are anticipated to complete round seven million automobiles.
The forecast accounts for gross sales of Chinese language manufacturers and determines the origin of automobiles offered by partnerships – corresponding to Stellantis’ Leapmotor – based mostly on the model underneath which they’re marketed.
The report makes use of information from automakers in addition to S&P World Mobility, consists of each passenger and industrial automobiles, and factors to important gross sales development for Chinese language manufacturers in Southeast Asia. Africa and Central America have additionally recorded elevated gross sales.
Export development for Chinese language automakers has stemmed from an oversupply of latest automobiles in China, resulting in reductions and decrease profitability, with exports seen as a approach to counter extra provide.
In Australia, Chinese language-made vehicles recorded 24 per cent year-on-year gross sales development between January and November 30, 2025 (not together with Tesla and Polestar gross sales, reported individually).
Regardless of the rise, gross sales of Chinese language-made vehicles stay behind Japan and, with Tesla and Polestar included, are near matching second-placed Thailand’s complete of 230,643 automobiles over the primary 11 months of the yr.
In November 2025, Chinese language-made vehicles crossed the 200,000 mark for the primary time in a calendar yr and surpassed the 2024 full-year complete of 176,159 the earlier month.
With greater than 200,000 gross sales in 2025, Chinese language-made automobiles will break their earlier Australian gross sales document of 193,433, set in 2023.
GWM was the highest-selling Chinese language model regionally to the tip of November, inserting seventh, forward of BYD in eighth and MG in tenth.
The Tesla Mannequin Y was the best-selling Chinese language-made mannequin with 28,460 gross sales, additionally making it Australia’s hottest electrical car.
The general Australian new-vehicle market, which was forecast earlier this yr to say no, may nonetheless set a brand new gross sales document in 2025 after the 2023 document of 1,216,780 was damaged in 2024 (1,237,287).
MORE: VFACTS November 2025: Australian new automotive gross sales drop as main auto manufacturers droop
