Chinese automakers displayed a diverse performance landscape in 2025, with some exceeding expectations while others struggled to meet their ambitious sales targets, according to year-end data.
BYD Leads the Market Despite Missing Target
BYD, the nation’s largest electric vehicle manufacturer, maintained its dominance in the Chinese auto sector despite falling short of its target.
The company sold 4,602,436 vehicles in 2025, achieving 83.7% of its 5.5 million unit goal.
While it didn’t reach the lofty target, BYD continues to hold the top spot in volume, cementing its position as a market leader.
Geely Surpasses Adjusted Goals
Geely Automobile wrapped up the year with 3,024,567 units sold, slightly exceeding its annual target of 3 million units, reflecting a 100.8% completion rate.
Interestingly, Geely initially aimed for 2.71 million vehicles at the start of 2025 but raised its target mid-year.
When measured against its original goal, the automaker achieved an impressive 111.6%, showing strong adaptability in a competitive market.
Chery and Great Wall Face Challenges
Chery Automobile recorded 2,631,381 vehicle sales, reaching 80.7% of its 3.26 million unit goal.
Meanwhile, Great Wall Motor faced the largest gap between ambition and reality, selling only 1,323,672 vehicles, which is 33.1% of its aggressive 4 million unit target.
These numbers highlight the challenges some traditional players faced in meeting high expectations amid a dynamic EV market.
Overperformers: Leapmotor, Xpeng, Xiaomi
Leapmotor was among the standout performers, delivering 596,555 vehicles, surpassing its 500,000 unit target with a 119.3% completion rate.
Xpeng Motors also exceeded expectations, recording 429,445 deliveries, 22.7% higher than its 350,000 unit goal.
Xiaomi Auto made a strong debut in its first full production year, selling over 400,000 vehicles, beating its 350,000 unit target by 14.3%.
December alone saw Xiaomi move more than 50,000 units, signaling strong year-end momentum.
Underperformers: HIMA, Li Auto, Nio
On the other hand, HIMA achieved only 58.9% of its ambitious 1 million unit target with 589,107 sales. Li Auto delivered 406,343 units, reaching 63.5% of its 640,000 goal.
Nio finished 2025 on a strong note, with December deliveries rising 32.7% month-over-month to 48,135 units, bringing total annual sales to 326,028 vehicles, or 74.1% of its 440,000 target.
Overall, 2025 highlighted the growing disparity in China’s automotive sector. While EV newcomers and tech-driven brands exceeded expectations, traditional automakers struggled to keep pace, signaling a market that favors innovation and agility.