The 2025 global figures settled on a ranking that puts Toyota first with 11.32 million vehicles, up 4.65%, followed by Volkswagen on 8.98 million and Hyundai on 7.27 million.
But the structural change in the list falls in its second half: three Chinese groups entering the top ten together — BYD sixth on 4.60 million, SAIC seventh on 4.51 million and Geely ninth on 4.12 million.
The largest automotive groups worldwide — 2025
| # | Group | 2025 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toyota | 11.32m | 10.82m | +4.65% |
| 2 | Volkswagen | 8.98m | 9.03m | −0.51% |
| 3 | Hyundai | 7.27m | 7.23m | +0.60% |
| 4 | General Motors | 6.18m | 6.00m | +3.03% |
| 5 | Stellantis | 5.48m | 5.42m | +1.27% |
| 6 | BYD | 4.60m | 4.27m | +7.72% |
| 7 | SAIC | 4.51m | 4.01m | +12.33% |
| 8 | Ford | 4.40m | 4.47m | −1.68% |
| 9 | Geely | 4.12m | 3.27m | +26.03% |
| 10 | Honda | 3.52m | 3.81m | −7.53% |
Three Chinese groups in the top ten: BYD sixth, SAIC seventh and Geely ninth. BYD’s overseas exports were 1.05 million cars, up 145%, and SAIC’s international sales 1.071 million. — Source ↗
The growth rates tell the story more plainly than the positions: Geely +26.03%, SAIC +12.33% and BYD +7.72%, against declines of 7.53% for Honda, 1.68% for Ford and 0.51% for Volkswagen.
BYD’s overseas exports reached 1.05 million cars, up 145%, and SAIC’s international sales 1.071 million.
What distinguishes this cycle is that Chinese growth is no longer entirely domestic. BYD’s overseas exports reached 1.05 million cars, up 145% year on year, and SAIC’s international sales 1.071 million.
Put another way: two Chinese groups sell more outside China alone than entire marques sell in their home markets — and that is what moves the competition from the Chinese market to the export markets, with the Gulf at the front of them.
For anyone building a long-run market-share model, the methodological point here is that group figures include all their marques: Geely covers Lynk & Co, Zeekr and Volvo; SAIC covers MG and others. So comparing “Geely” with “Toyota” is not a comparison of marque with marque but of group with group.
The open question for 2026 is whether these groups can hold their overseas growth rate as European and American markets tighten, or whether growth will concentrate further in open markets such as the Middle East and Latin America.
