With Stellantis Group releasing its financial report on the 26th, the 2025 global automaker sales rankings have been finalized. Among them, Toyota, Volkswagen, Hyundai, and General Motors still occupy the top four spots. Thanks to an 11% year-on-year increase in the second half of last year, Stellantis Group remains in fifth place with more than 5.4 million units sold. Three Chinese automakers—BYD, SAIC Motor, and Geely Holding—also made the list and have all moved up in the rankings, placing 6th, 7th, and 9th, respectively. Nissan, which made the list last year, dropped out of the top 10 this year.
Looking at the three Chinese automakers in the top ten, supportive policies such as “trade-in” subsidies played a major role. According to data from the Chinese Ministry of Finance, in 2025, the sales value of consumption goods under the trade-in program exceeded 2.6 trillion yuan (1.47 trillion ringgit), benefiting about 360 million people. Among them, over 11.5 million automobiles were “traded in,” with new energy vehicles accounting for nearly 60% of the sales.
However, industry insiders analyzed that, as opposed to rankings based on factors such as profitability, growth prospects, and innovation potential (which determine market capitalization), sales rankings reflect the automaker’s real-time strength in the consumer market. Although Chinese car companies have developed rapidly over the past few years, the list shows that Toyota, Volkswagen, Hyundai, and General Motors still steadily hold the top four positions.
In terms of numbers, Toyota Group’s global sales in 2025 reached about 11.32 million units, up 4.6% year-on-year. The highest-ranked Chinese automaker, BYD, sold a total of 4.602 million new vehicles globally last year, with an annual growth rate of 7.7%. However, there is still a gap of more than 800,000 units compared to fifth-place Stellantis.