Chinese automakers Geely, Chery and BYD now account for over 13% of global vehicle sales in the first half of 2026.
Now, this might not come as much of a surprise to anyone given how Chinese carmakers have been absolutely dominating the automotive conversation in recent years, but there are now three Chinese automakers among the world’s 10 best-selling carmakers.
Those three are, of course: BYD, Geely and Chery.
The latest global automaker sales rankings for the first half of 2026 were released this week, marking the first time that three Chinese automakers have simultaneously made it into the global top 10 by sales. In fact, combined, BYD, Geely and Chery accounted for 13.5% of global vehicle sales during the period.
Looking at the standings in more detail, Toyota remains the world’s largest automaker with an 11% global market share, followed by Volkswagen at 8.1% and Hyundai Motor Group at 7.6%. Stellantis and the Renault-Nissan Alliance meanwhile round out the top five with 6.0% and 5.4% respectively.
The Chinese brands start to show up just outside the top five, with BYD climbing into sixth place with a 4.8% share. This is followed closely by Geely Group at 4.6%. General Motors ranks eighth with 4.5%, while Chery Group ties with Ford for ninth place at 4.1%.
While having the world’s largest automotive market certainly helps with overall sales, it is nevertheless also unsurprising given the number of Chinese cars now appearing on roads around the world to learn that exports have become another major growth driver. China shipped 5.096 million vehicles overseas during the first half of 2026, representing a substantial 65.3% increase year-on-year. In fact, June was particularly notable, with monthly vehicle exports from China surpassing one million units for the first time.
New energy vehicles (NEVs) have been a major part of this export boom, with 2.355 million NEVs shipped overseas during the first half of the year, more than double the figure recorded over the same period in 2025.
Before anyone starts flying the red flag however, the rise of Chinese carmakers does not mean the traditional automotive giants are disappearing anytime soon. Toyota, Volkswagen and Hyundai Motor Group continue to hold substantial leads in the global market, and who would have expected the consistently ailing Renault-Nissan Alliance to somehow still be sitting in the top five?
That said, it has taken Chinese automakers only a few short years to occupy 30% of the global top 10. Given their rather stratospheric rise in recent years, the question now has to be how soon BYD, Geely and Chery can break into the top five. And perhaps more curiously too, who will be the next Chinese automaker to join them in the top 10?
