South Korean media: For the first time in history, Chinese automobiles have surpassed Japan to claim the global sales crown!
On April 26, South Korea's Seoul Economic Daily published an article stating that last year, Chinese automakers exceeded their Japanese counterparts in global new car sales for the first time, securing the top spot. This marks the first time in 25 years since 2000 that Japan has lost its position as the world’s leading auto market. Expanding into overseas markets such as Europe and Southeast Asia is now a key factor determining whether this growth momentum can be sustained.
Last year, Chinese automakers achieved global new car sales of approximately 27 million units, representing a year-on-year increase of about 10%. This figure surpassed Japan’s sales of around 25 million units, which saw a slight decline.
In the list of the top 20 global automakers by sales volume, Chinese companies occupy six spots—more than Japan’s five—making China the country with the most representatives on the list. China’s automotive giant BYD recorded sales of 4.6 million units worldwide, ranking sixth globally, up nearly 8% year-on-year. Its sales have surpassed those of Honda, Nissan, and Ford—the U.S. “Big Three” automaker. In the electric vehicle (EV) sector, BYD even outperformed Tesla to take the top spot in global EV sales. This is interpreted as evidence that significant growth in EV exports has greatly boosted BYD’s overseas performance.
China’s second-largest automaker, Geely Auto, also climbed to eighth place globally with total sales reaching 4.11 million units—an increase of about 23% compared to the previous year, moving up two positions from last year’s tenth. This rise is primarily attributed to the successful launch of the compact EV model "Star E" in China’s domestic market last year, along with expanded overseas distribution channels including Latin America.
Meanwhile, Japanese automakers faced setbacks. Honda ranked ninth globally with sales of 3.52 million units, down about 8% year-on-year—the largest decline among the top 20. Due to losses in its electric vehicle business and weak growth in the Chinese market, the company reported a staggering loss of 69 billion yen in fiscal year 2025—the first-ever loss since its listing.
Nissan’s sales dropped by about 4%, totaling 3.2 million units, marking the first time since 2004 that it fell outside the global top ten. Faced with financial difficulties, Nissan was forced to restructure, including the closure of its factory in Mexico.
The world’s largest automaker, Toyota, maintained its top position for the sixth consecutive year with sales of 11.32 million units, up about 5% compared to the previous year. Volkswagen from Germany came in second with 8.98 million units, while Hyundai Motor and Kia tied for third place with 7.27 million units each. Although Toyota managed to salvage some dignity, concerns within Japan’s automotive industry are intensifying further.
Whether China’s upward trend will continue this year remains uncertain. With intensified domestic competition and the gradual phase-out of tax incentives for new energy vehicles, the pace of car sales growth has already noticeably slowed.
The Nikkei News stated: “Chinese companies are striving to enhance cost competitiveness by shifting from export-oriented models to local production. If Japanese firms fail to strengthen their own cost competitiveness, the gap between them and Chinese automakers will only widen.”
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1863518636357835/
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