There are hundreds of automobile manufacturers operating in China, the country with the largest automotive industry in the world. It includes state-owned manufacturers, privately owned manufacturers, foreign manufacturers, and joint ventures between local and foreign manufacturers.
Until 2017, Chinese automotive policy required that a foreign carmaker must form a joint-venture with a Chinese carmaker if the former plans to produce vehicles in the country, with the Chinese carmaker owning 51% of the joint venture. However, since 2017, the Chinese government had indicated that it would liberalize foreign control in the automotive sector, allowing full ownership by foreign companies. [8]
In 2017, Tesla was allowed to set up a plant in Shanghai city, making it the first foreign automaker to open a wholly owned factory in China. [9] In 2022, BMW and Volkswagen had acquired 75% stake in their joint ventures, which enables them to have the majority control of its Chinese joint ventures.
Before 2017, foreign automotive companies establishing joint ventures in China had to adhere to two requirements.
Since 2017, the Chinese government had indicated that it would liberalize foreign control in the automotive sector, allowing full ownership by foreign companies. Volkswagen, for example, has already established two joint ventures (being FAW, SAIC) since 1980s, established its third joint venture VW-JAC.
Below is a list of major car company joint ventures ever existed in mainland China (truck and coach JVs not included). Early 1980s-90s CKD assembly agreements are not included as the production numbers are typically negligible compared to later JV efforts. Technology transfer agreements to domestic brands are also not included.
Due to the limited market size, automotive manufacturers in Taiwan have relatively small-scale operations. The majority of major manufacturers engage in contract manufacturing for foreign car brands from Japan and the US. Only a few manufactures, like Yulon and China Motor, have their own brands.
The automotive industry comprises a wide range of companies and organizations involved in the design, development, manufacturing, marketing, selling, repairing, and modification of motor vehicles. It is one of the world's largest industries by revenue.
A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to access a new market, particularly emerging market; to gain scale efficiencies by combining assets and operations; to share risk for major investments or projects; or to access skills and capabilities.
Volkswagen Group China is a division of the German automotive concern Volkswagen Group in the People's Republic of China.
Jiangling Motors Corporation Limited, abbreviated JMC, is a Chinese automobile manufacturer. According to company and press reports, the largest shareholder of JMC is Jiangling Investment, a company controlled equally by the state-owned enterprises Changan and Jiangling Motors Corporation Group (JMCG).
Yulon Motor Co., Ltd. is a Taiwanese automaker and importer. Taiwan's biggest automaker as of 2010, Yulon is known for building Nissan models under license. The original romanization of the company's name is Yue Loong, but in 1992 the company renewed its logo and switched to the shorter Yulon name. Historically, it is one of Taiwan's "big four" automakers. The company has over time evolved as a holding company that encompassed multiple public entities such as Yulon-Nissan Motor, Yulon Financial, Yulon Rental, Carnival Industrial Corporation and others. The group currently has a rivalry with Hotai Motor Group as the two largest Taiwanese automotive companies.
Lists of automobile-related articles cover a wide range of topics related to cars. The lists are organized by manufacturer, region, sport, technology and so on.
Dongfeng Peugeot-Citroën, formerly Dongfeng Peugeot-Citroën Automobile Co., Ltd. (DPCA) from 1992 to 2021, is an equally owned Chinese joint venture between the automobile manufacturers Dongfeng Motor Corporation and Stellantis. Based in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, it manufactures Peugeot and Citroën models for sale in China.
Chang'an Automobile Co., Ltd.(CCAG) is a Chinese state-owned automobile manufacturer headquartered in Jiangbei, Chongqing. Founded in 1862, it is China's oldest automobile maker. It is currently the smallest of the "Big Four" state-owned car manufacturers of China, namely: SAIC Motor, FAW Group, Dongfeng Motor Corporation, and Changan Automobile, with car sales of 5.37 million, 3.50 million, 3.28 million and 2.30 million in 2021 respectively.
China FAW Group Corp., Ltd. is a Chinese state-owned automobile manufacturer headquartered in Changchun, Jilin. Founded on 15 July 1953, it is currently the second largest of the "Big Four" state-owned car manufacturers of China, together with SAIC Motor, Dongfeng Motor Corporation and Changan Automobile.
The automotive industry in Chinese mainland has been the largest in the world measured by automobile unit production since 2008. As of 2024, China is also the world's largest automobile market both in terms of sales and ownership.
Dongfeng Motor Group Co., Ltd., doing business as DFG, is a Chinese holding company based in Wuhan, Hubei. Its H shares were listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange.
Dongfeng Motor Corporation Ltd. is a Chinese state-owned automobile manufacturer headquartered in Wuhan, Hubei. Founded in 1969, it is currently the smallest of the "Big Four" state-owned car manufacturers of China with 671,000 sales in 2023, below SAIC Motor, Changan Automobile and FAW Group.
The electric vehicle industry in China is the largest in the world, accounting for around 57.4% of global production of electric vehicles (EVs) and around 500,000 exports in 2021. In 2021, CAAM reported China had sold 3.34 million passenger electric vehicles, consisting 2.73 million BEVs and 0.6 million PHEV, which is around 53% share of the global market of 6.23 million "new energy" passenger vehicles – BEVs, PHEVs, and HEVs. China also dominates the plug-in electric bus and light commercial vehicle market, reaching over 500,000 buses and 247,500 electric commercial vehicles in 2019, and recording new sales of 186,000 commercial EVs in 2021.
Jiangling Motors Corporation Group Co., Ltd. (JMCG) is a Chinese state-owned holding mostly operating in the automotive industry. It was established in 1947 and is headquartered in Nanchang, Jiangxi.
Jiangling Holdings, also translated as Jiangling Motor Holding (JMH), is the name of two successive Jiangxi-based Chinese joint ventures focused on the automotive industry. The present Jiangling Holdings, established in June 2019 as a successor of the first one, is owned by state-controlled companies Jiangxi Guokong Automotive Investment Corporation, JMCG and Changan Auto. The first Jiangling Holdings was established in 2004 by JMCG and Changan as an equally-owned venture.
Zhejiang Leapmotor Technology Co., Ltd., trading as Leapmotor, is a Chinese startup automobile manufacturer headquartered in Hangzhou, China, specializing in developing electric vehicles. The company was founded in 2015, and sold its first vehicles in 2019. In 2023, Stellantis acquired 20 percent stake of Leapmotor, and plans to sell Leapmotor vehicles in Europe.