Chinese Automakers Target the North American Market, Toyota Maintains Its Advantage

The Japanese automotive media "WEB CARTOP" published an article on March 15: If the U.S. market opens up to Chinese automobiles, Chinese automakers such as BYD will significantly increase their global sales.

In California, it has not yet been indicated that the ban on the sale of fuel vehicles starting from 2035 will be canceled. If fuel vehicles are restricted at that time, Korean electric vehicles in the current U.S. market will benefit. If Chinese electric vehicles enter the same price range as Korean cars, it would be a crushing blow to Korean brands.

Plug-in hybrid models also appear in multiple Chinese brands. The author believes that at this stage, they will not pose a threat to Toyota, the best-selling car brand globally, but the offensive by Chinese automakers such as BYD makes Toyota and Volkswagen uneasy.

Volkswagen's 2025 sales reached 8,983,900 units, a decrease of 0.5% compared to the same period last year. BYD's plan to launch a "light electric vehicle" in Japan in 2026 has attracted attention. In 2025, BYD sold a total of 4,602,436 units, of which 1,046,083 were exported overseas. Among these, the sales of 2,260,000 pure electric vehicles surpassed Tesla to become the top seller globally.

In the Chinese brand, Geely Group sold 4,116,321 units, including its subsidiaries Volvo and other brands, with sales catching up to BYD.

Toyota Motor's global sales in 2025 will reach 10,536,807 units, including the Lexus brand, making it the largest automaker by brand worldwide. Toyota's advantage lies in its balanced sales, covering major markets around the world, such as Japan, the United States, China, and Southeast Asia. Not only hybrid vehicles (HEV), but also fuel vehicles are favored by car users worldwide for their good fuel efficiency, low failure rate, and high quality.

In the United States, if a vehicle breaks down and is left in an unsafe area, it can directly lead to life-threatening situations. Low failure rate is an advantage of Japanese cars.

Trends are emerging globally from pure electric vehicles to hybrid vehicles, which is undoubtedly good news for Toyota.

Volkswagen ranks second, and holds an advantage in the Chinese market. For example, Shanghai Volkswagen, as a local joint venture, had the Passat as a standard car for government agencies and corporate executives, and the Santana taxi was once popular.

When Volkswagen executives visited Shanghai to attend the auto show, they were received as state guests by the Shanghai municipal leaders.

Although the sales of electric vehicles in Japan are also rising, it is not only Volkswagen, but also other global automakers find it difficult to keep up with the pace of Chinese automakers.

When the reporter visited Shanghai, he felt that the city had been taken over by electric vehicles. With the development of electric vehicles in the Chinese market, manufacturers in other countries are struggling.

The U.S. market will determine the future of Chinese cars. Additionally, Volkswagen has a weak presence in the Southeast Asian market, facing overall sales difficulties. In Indonesia, despite Volkswagen having models like the ID.Buzz, it is still too expensive.

The reporter has visited Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and India, but Volkswagen cars are almost nowhere to be seen. On the contrary, there are many Volkswagen cars in Latin America. However, in the North American market, including Canada, Volkswagen has become a classic image that younger generations are indifferent to, and it is in a struggling state in the North American market. The annual sales gap between Volkswagen and Toyota is nearly 2 million units.

On the contrary, what deserves attention is Chinese brands.

At present, it is unlikely that Chinese passenger electric vehicles will enter the U.S. market. However, there is no doubt that if the next administration is led by the Democratic Party, the situation will change completely.

In Mexico, there are many Chinese brand cars on the streets. The Canadian government has also signed a trade agreement with China, including easing the import of pure electric vehicles made in China. In such a situation, entering the U.S. market at any time is inevitable.

Facing the aggressive advances of Chinese brands such as BYD and Geely, the fact that Volkswagen and Toyota face threats from Chinese brands in the global market will not change.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1859692945282186/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.