Where are Chinese cars really selling well when they go global?

To date, no one doubts the leading position of Chinese automakers in the global new energy vehicle market.

After all, from January to August this year, a total of 12.5 million new energy vehicles were sold globally, among which 9.62 million were sold in China, accounting for as high as 77%. And most of these vehicles are from Chinese brands.

On the other hand, the influence of Chinese automobile brands is not limited to the new energy field. Looking at the global market, more and more vehicles with Chinese self - owned brand logos are running on the roads of various countries.

Since surpassing Japan in 2023, China has ranked first in global automobile exports for several consecutive years. In terms of the scale of automakers, in recent years, more and more Chinese brands have appeared among the top 10 multinational automakers in terms of sales volume.

“Chinese electric vehicles account for 90% of the Indonesian market share.”

“BYD's sales in Europe have continuously exceeded Tesla's.”

“Middle - Eastern tycoons are going crazy for Chinese cars.”

……

In various reports, the booming sales of Chinese automobile brands can be found almost all over the world.

So, what are the specific sales situations of Chinese brands in different regions? In which countries are Chinese cars more popular and have a higher penetration rate?

First, let's state the conclusion. Among the six continents and regions we surveyed, the Southeast Asian market, which is closest to us, has the highest penetration rate, while North America has the lowest. Except for Mexico, Chinese brands have hardly entered this region.

Another obvious feature is that Chinese cars are more popular in countries and regions with underdeveloped automobile industries. In traditional automobile powerhouses such as the United States, Europe, Japan, and South Korea, the overseas expansion of Chinese automakers has just begun.

NO.1 [ Europe, the First Stop for Chinese New Energy Vehicles Going Global ]

Data shows that in August this year, the new energy vehicle penetration rate in nine European countries (the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark) further increased to 32.1%. As the region with the highest new energy vehicle penetration rate outside China, in recent years, we have heard many news about Chinese new energy vehicles competing in the European market.

From Europe becoming the largest export market for Chinese new energy vehicles, to BYD's market share in Europe exceeding Tesla's, and then to Chinese players stealing the show at the recent Munich Auto Show … the presence of Chinese automakers in the European new energy vehicle market is constantly strengthening.

But this is only one aspect. With a number of traditional giants leading the way, compared with other regions, the penetration rate of Chinese cars in Europe is still very low. This is still a market where fuel - powered vehicles dominate. Even in the new energy field, the best - selling models in the European market still come from traditional automakers such as Volkswagen, BMW, and Renault.

Of course, this situation is gradually changing. Since the beginning of this year, even though the EU has increased tariffs on Chinese new energy vehicles, this has not stopped the growth of sales. Coupled with more Chinese automakers building local factories and the new energy technologies recognized by consumers, traditional European automobile giants are increasingly feeling the crisis.

In Europe, there is also a relatively special country - Russia.

In terms of export volume, due to policy reasons, China's exports to Russia have been declining since the second half of last year. However, from the sales side, the market share of Chinese brands in the local market has hardly been affected.

Here, the penetration rate of Chinese automobile brands exceeds 60%. In the local top 10 best - selling vehicles, except for the Russian local brand Lada, Kia's Solaris, and Toyota, all the others are Chinese brands. Even the Chinese Xiaomi Auto, which was launched last year, has been exported here.

It must be mentioned that the rapid expansion of Chinese brands in the local market also faces some problems. For example, a set of test data released by local Russian media at the beginning of this year showed that among 17 Chinese - brand models, 5 had weak anti - corrosion processes, and rust appeared after two years of use, while German cars of the same period remained intact. This has made many local consumers lack confidence in Chinese cars. Quality issues are also an urgent problem that Chinese automakers must solve during their overseas expansion.

NO.2 [ Southeast Asia, the Region with the Highest Penetration Rate of Chinese Cars ]

Probably due to geographical and cultural relations, Southeast Asia is the region with the highest penetration rate of Chinese cars. There are the largest number of Chinese automobile factories here, and there are also the most rumors about the booming sales of Chinese cars, such as

“In the first half of 2025, Chinese electric vehicles firmly held the top position in pure - electric vehicle sales in Malaysia.”

“Wuling Bingo exported 35,000 vehicles to Thailand in a single quarter, and Wuling 'dominated' Southeast Asia.”

“Thai consumers queued up all night to buy BYD ATTO 3 on the eve of its launch.”

……

These rumors are often related to new energy vehicles. Driven by local policies, the new energy vehicle penetration rate in five Southeast Asian countries, especially Thailand, is also growing rapidly. For example, Thailand is currently the largest single export market for Chinese new energy vehicles.

Proton is another factor that has a significant impact on the penetration rate. (Geely acquired a 49.9% stake in Proton in 2017. Currently, all its models and technologies basically come from Geely, so it is also regarded as a Chinese brand here.)

In the second quarter of this year, Malaysia, where Proton is based, surpassed Indonesia to become the largest automobile market among the five Southeast Asian countries. In this market, Proton's sales volume ranks second, ahead of many Japanese automakers such as Toyota and Suzuki. In addition to Proton, although Chinese brands have developed rapidly in recent years, the penetration rate of Japanese brands here is still as high as 70%, holding an absolute dominant position.

It can be said that as the backyard of Japanese brands and the graveyard of European and American brands, Chinese cars still have a long way to go in Southeast Asia.

Some analysts believe that the reason why European and American brands lost out to Japanese brands in the market competition was largely due to the lack of local parts and components support. Fortunately, Chinese automakers have learned this lesson.

Data from the Thai Ministry of Industry shows that in addition to Chinese automakers successively building local factories, the number of Chinese automobile parts and components enterprises registered in Thailand in the first quarter of 2025 reached 420, a three - fold increase compared with 2020. The proportion of Chinese enterprises among foreign - invested enterprises in Thailand has increased from 7% to 22%, forming a tripartite confrontation with the 1400 suppliers dominated by Japanese brands.

NO.3 [ South America, a Promising Market with Deep Roots ]

Globally, another market where Chinese automakers have deeply rooted is South America.

In the middle of this year, BYD's and Great Wall's factories in Brazil were successively completed and put into operation. Even earlier, Chery had established multiple KD factories in South America; JAC, Changan, etc. also started their export business here very early.

Different from Europe and Southeast Asia, although the sales volume of new energy vehicles in South America is also growing rapidly, the overall new energy vehicle penetration rate is still very low, less than 5%. The top 20 most popular models in the sales rankings are all fuel - powered vehicles.

In the fuel - powered vehicle market, traditional giants such as Volkswagen, Fiat, Chevrolet, and Toyota still dominate. This is why although many Chinese automakers started to layout in this region early, the overall market share of Chinese brands is still not high.

Fortunately, in recent years, with the development of new energy vehicles and the acceleration of Chinese automakers' overseas expansion, Chinese brands are gradually rising here.

In terms of exports, in the past two years, Brazil has entered the top 10 major export markets for Chinese cars. According to local sales data, from January to August this year, BYD also entered the top 10 in local sales. Chery, ranked 11th, follows closely, and Great Wall also shows good momentum.

It is certain that with the operation of local factories, the product costs of more and more Chinese automakers will be further reduced, and the penetration rate of Chinese automakers in South America will surely be further improved.

NO.4 [ North America, the Region with the Lowest Presence of Chinese Cars ]

Among the six continents and regions we surveyed, North America (including Canada, the United States, and Mexico) has the lowest penetration rate of Chinese cars. Especially in the Canadian and American markets, it is actually very difficult to see Chinese cars.

Actually, the Mexican market in this region is more worthy of attention. In terms of exports, in 2025, Mexico has surpassed Russia to become the largest export market for Chinese cars. Of course, this is mainly related to Mexico's special geographical location - many automakers use it as a transit point for exporting to the Americas.

Specifically in the Mexican market, traditional automobile brands from Europe, America, Japan, and South Korea still hold the largest market share. Among the top 10 best - selling automobile brands from January to July this year, only MG, which has a historical background, is from China. Even in the new energy field, the top three best - selling brands are still overseas brands such as Volvo, BMW, and Mitsubishi.

Interestingly, here we can also see many new faces that are not common in other markets. For example, Sihao under JAC, Shenlan under Changan, Landian, another new energy brand under Seres, as well as brands like IM and BAIC. Although their sales volumes are not high, they have already taken action in this market.

NO.5 [ Australia and Africa, New Opportunities in a New Pattern ]

Although the overall scale of the automobile markets in Australia and Africa is not large, from the perspective of penetration rate data, in these regions with underdeveloped automobile industries, Chinese brands have more opportunities.

Due to environmental and economic factors, the penetration rate of new energy vehicles in both Australia and Africa is very low, and plug - in hybrid vehicles are more popular than pure - electric vehicles.