What Cars Are Made in China? Brands, Models & US Rules (2026)

China has led the world in vehicle production for 17 consecutive years, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), which reported 34.531 million vehicles produced in 2025. Those vehicles include models from Chinese brands such as BYD and SAIC and foreign-badge cars such as the Volvo S90, the Polestar 2 and the Lotus Eletre. This guide names the brands and models that makers and news outlets have documented, gives the 2025 production numbers with their sources, and explains the US tariff and connected-vehicle rules that affect China-built cars.

What Cars Are Made in China? The Short Answer

Quick answer: cars produced in China fall into two groups. The first is Chinese-brand cars. The 2025 company results compiled by Shanghai Metals Market (SMM) cover BYD, SAIC, Leapmotor, XPeng, Xiaomi, Li Auto and NIO. The second is foreign-badge cars. Volvo Cars built the S90 at its Daqing plant, Polestar built the Polestar 2 in Luqiao, and Lotus Technology oversees manufacturing of the Eletre and Emeya in Wuhan. Tesla lists Gigafactory Shanghai among its manufacturing facilities in its FY2025 annual report, and GM said in January 2026 that it is ending China production of the Buick Envision.

Every number below carries its source and date in plain text, and the tables label each figure as production, sales or exports.

How Many Vehicles Did China Produce in 2025?

CAAM published its full-year 2025 data, which SMM summarized in a report dated January 19, 2026. The table repeats the CAAM figures from that report.

Measure (2025)	CAAM figure	Change on 2024
Vehicle production	34.531 million	Up 10.4%
Vehicle sales	34.4 million	Up 9.4%
NEV production	16.626 million	Up 29%
NEV sales	16.49 million	Up 28.2%
Vehicle exports	7.098 million	Up 21.1%
NEV exports	2.615 million	About double
Combustion-engine vehicle exports	4.483 million	Down 2%

CAAM described NEV sales as 47.9% of new vehicle sales in 2025, up 7 percentage points on the year before, and said commercial vehicle production and sales each grew by more than 10%, returning to above 4 million units. As arithmetic from the table, NEV production of 16.626 million is about 48% of the 34.531 million vehicles produced.

The China Passenger Car Association (CPCA), also quoted by SMM, adds a passenger-car view. Exports of self-owned-brand combustion-engine passenger vehicles were 2.87 million in 2025, down 7%, while self-owned-brand NEV exports were 2.04 million, up 139%, which made NEVs 49.5% of self-owned-brand exports. CPCA reported domestic passenger-vehicle retail sales of 23.744 million for January to December, up 3.8%.

Chinese Domestic Brands: Who Sold How Many in 2025

The table lists the Chinese automakers that have 2025 figures in the SMM report. The figures below are sales or delivery counts reported by the companies and compiled by SMM from Cailian Press data. They are not factory-output counts.

Company	2025 sales or deliveries	Detail reported
BYD	More than 4.602 million	Up 7.73%; pure EV 2.257 million, plug-in hybrid 2.289 million (down 7.91%)
SAIC	4.507 million	Up 12.32%
Leapmotor	597,000	Up 103.1%; first among newer automakers
XPeng	429,000	Up 125.94%
Xiaomi Auto	410,000	Figure stated by CEO Lei Jun
Li Auto	406,000	Slight decline on 2024
NIO	326,000	Up 46.88%

SMM reports that BYD passed Tesla for the first time as the global pure EV sales leader. BYD sold 2.257 million pure EVs in 2025, while Tesla delivered 1.64 million vehicles worldwide, down from 1.79 million in 2024. SMM, citing Reuters, attributes Tesla’s decline mainly to stronger competition, the expiry of US EV tax credits and weaker demand tied to brand image.

Other Chinese automakers appear in the same SMM report in a different context. After China’s State Administration for Market Regulation published draft pricing guidelines for the auto industry on December 12, 2025, 11 companies, including BYD, BAIC, XPeng, Chery, Great Wall, Changan, Leap Motor and Seres, committed to optimizing price management and compliance systems. Sales figures for Chery, Great Wall, Changan, BAIC and Seres are not part of the SMM figures used here.

Joint Ventures With International Brands: Foreign-Badge Cars Built in China

Foreign brands build some models in China. The table lists only models and plants that a maker page, a company filing or a news report names directly.

Model or plant	Brand	What the source says	Source
Volvo S90	Volvo Cars	The 100,000th S90 left the Daqing plant in Heilongjiang in December 2018; S90 models were exported to nearly 70 countries and regions including Europe and America; the plant started production in June 2015	Volvo Cars press release, December 2018
Polestar 2	Polestar	The 100,000th Polestar 2 was produced in Luqiao, China; first deliveries were in July 2020	Polestar news, November 22, 2022
Eletre and Emeya	Lotus	Lotus Technology Inc. oversees manufacturing of the Eletre and Emeya in Wuhan since 2022	Lotus Cars website, read October 2026
Gigafactory Shanghai	Tesla	Listed with Megafactory Shanghai as a primary manufacturing facility; Tesla owns the building and holds land use rights with an initial 50-year term. The table does not name models	Tesla FY2025 Form 10-K
Buick Envision	Buick (GM)	GM shipped the midsize SUV to the US from China since 2017 as its only Chinese import and said in January 2026 it is ending China production	Reuters, January 22, 2026

For Lotus, the Eletre and Emeya are only part of the picture. Our guide to where Lotus cars are made covers the Hethel and Wuhan split, and where Tesla cars are manufactured covers the Tesla factory list. For the brand itself, see what a Polestar car is.

Polestar’s US page for the Polestar 2 lists it under the Certified by Polestar pre-owned program as of October 2026. The Volvo release says S90 models were exported to nearly 70 countries and regions including America, and the Reuters report says the Envision was GM’s only Chinese import to the US.

Which China-Built Cars Are Sold in the US?

The documented examples from the sources above are the Buick Envision, the Volvo S90 and the Polestar 2. Reuters says GM has faced a 25% tariff on the Envision since 2018 and did not win an exemption during the first Trump administration. GM plans to build the next-generation Envision at its Kansas City-area assembly plant from 2028, and the Reuters report notes that tariffs on vehicles imported from China increased in 2025 amid a trade war between Washington and Beijing.

Which models are on sale changes quickly, so this guide does not list a current US lineup. Our related guides cover the question from the US side: are Chinese-made cars sold in the USA, what Chinese cars are sold in America, are BYD cars sold in the US and can you import Chinese cars to the USA.

US Tariffs and the Connected-Vehicle Rule

Two kinds of US measures apply to China-built cars: duties that add to the price, and a rule that restricts certain vehicles and software. The sources below are official US government pages.

Measure	What the official page says	Source
Section 232 auto tariff	A 25 percent tariff on imported automobiles (passenger vehicles and light trucks) applies from April 3, 2025, in addition to other duties	White House proclamation, March 26, 2025
Section 301 tariff on China	USTR’s notice lists a 100 percent duty, effective 2024, on motor vehicles to transport persons with an electric motor for propulsion (HTS 8703.80.00)	USTR notice, Federal Register, September 18, 2024
Connected-vehicle rule	BIS restricts the import and sale of certain connected vehicles and related hardware and software linked to China or Russia; the rule applies to vehicles under 10,001 pounds and took effect March 17, 2025	BIS connected vehicles page

The official pages: the White House Section 232 proclamation, the USTR Section 301 notice and the BIS connected vehicles page.

The BIS page sets two phases. For Model Year 2027, it prohibits sales of connected vehicles by manufacturers owned by, controlled by or subject to the jurisdiction of China or Russia, and of vehicles using their covered software. For Model Year 2030, or January 1, 2029 for non-model-year components, it prohibits imports of VCS hardware from such companies. Importers and manufacturers that do not engage in prohibited transactions must submit annual Declarations of Conformity to BIS.

This guide reports what the cited pages said in October 2026 and is not legal advice; check USTR, CBP and BIS for the current position before importing or buying.

Why China’s 2025 Export Figures Differ by Source

Two published reports give different totals for China’s 2025 vehicle exports, and both attribute the data to CAAM. The table shows them side by side.

Report	2025 vehicle exports	Basis stated
SMM summary of CAAM, January 19, 2026	7.098 million, up 21.1%	CAAM analysis of full-year data; December exports 753,000
Gasgoo, February 5, 2026	8.32 million, up 29.9%; value $142.46 billion, up 21.4%	Data compiled by CAAM from the General Administration of Customs; December exports 994,000

The two reports do not match, and neither explains the gap. When you quote China’s 2025 exports, name the source: 7.098 million is CAAM’s own count as summarized by SMM, and 8.32 million is the customs-based compilation reported by Gasgoo. The CPCA passenger-vehicle export figures above are a third, narrower measure.

More Guides on Where Cars Are Made

For the wider picture, see where cars are made, major car companies that make cars in China and whether the Chinese make cars.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Are The Most Popular Cars Made In China?

The sources read for this guide report sales by company, not by model. In 2025 BYD reported more than 4.602 million sales and SAIC reported 4.507 million, according to figures compiled by Shanghai Metals Market (SMM). Among newer automakers in the same data, Leapmotor delivered 597,000 vehicles, ahead of XPeng at 429,000, Xiaomi at 410,000, Li Auto at 406,000 and NIO at 326,000.

Which International Brands Manufacture Cars In China?

Volvo Cars built the S90 at its Daqing plant, Polestar built the Polestar 2 in Luqiao, and Lotus Technology oversees manufacturing of the Eletre and Emeya in Wuhan. Tesla lists Gigafactory Shanghai among its manufacturing facilities in its FY2025 annual report. GM said in January 2026 that it is ending China production of the Buick Envision.

Are Electric Cars Produced In China?

Yes. CAAM reported that new energy vehicle (NEV) production reached 16.626 million units in 2025, up 29 percent, and that NEV sales were 47.9 percent of new vehicle sales. CAAM also reported 2.615 million NEV exports for the year.

How Does China Influence Global Car Production?

CAAM says China has held the top global position in vehicle production and sales for 17 consecutive years, with 34.531 million vehicles produced in 2025. CAAM counted 7.098 million vehicle exports, and BYD passed Tesla in global pure EV sales in 2025, according to SMM. Reuters reports that GM is moving Buick Envision production to the US in the wake of tariffs.

Conclusion

China produced 34.531 million vehicles in 2025 according to CAAM, from Chinese brands such as BYD and SAIC and from foreign brands that build in China. Volvo, Polestar, Lotus and Tesla are documented by their own pages and filings, and GM is moving production of the Buick Envision to the US in the wake of tariffs, per Reuters. Check the dated source for any figure you plan to quote.

What this guide does not cover

• Every model built in China: it names only those a maker page, filing or news report documents.
• Prices, reliability and ownership costs of China-built cars.
• Current tariff rates after October 2026: check USTR and CBP.