Automobile manufacturers and brands of China

There are currently about 150 active brands in the Chinese automobile market. Among them are 97 Chinese domestic brands and 43 joint venture (JV) brands. Before 2010, the traditional "Big Four" refers to the four major state-owned car manufacturers, SAIC, FAW, Dongfeng and Changan. Other Chinese car manufacturers, both from public and private sectors, like Geely, BAIC, BYD, Chery, GAC, Great Wall, JAC and Seres emerged as the major players with the expansion of Chinese automotive industry.
The article is the introduction of major manufacturers and brands of China, for the full list see List of automobile manufacturers of China.
Central state-owned manufacturer refers to manufacturer that directly owned by the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC) of the People's Republic of China. Currently, FAW, Dongfeng and Changan are owned and controlled by the Central Government.
According to the civil service ranks of China, The central government controlled state-owned enterprises are ranked as Sub-Ministerial-Level Enterprise, which applies to FAW and Dongfeng. However, since Changan is the subsidiary of China South Industries Group Corporation, a Sub-Ministerial-Level Enterprise, Changan itself is ranked as Bureau-Director Level Enterprise.
Local state-owned manufacturer refer to manufacturer that owned by State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of local governments (instead of State Council). Most local government controlled manufacturers are ranked as Bureau-Director Level Enterprise or even lower level.
Following the Chinese economic reform, from 1994 to 2018, Chinese automotive policy mandated that foreign carmakers had to establish joint ventures with a Chinese counterpart to produce vehicles in the country, with the Chinese partner owning at least 50% of the venture. This measure was implemented to protect local manufacturers and provide it with the chance to bridge the technology gap and develop their brands.
On April 17, 2018. The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) of China announced that foreign ownership limits on automakers would be phased out over a 5-year period. On 28 July 2018, China lifted foreign ownership restrictions on new energy vehicle production, which benefited American electric car manufacturer Tesla, Inc. The company established a plant in Shanghai, becoming the first foreign automaker to open a wholly-owned manufacturing facility in China. The liberalization was followed by commercial vehicles in 2020 and passenger cars in 2022. The rule that prohibited foreign automakers from setting up more than two joint ventures in China was also lifted in 2022. Therefore, it became legally possible for the foreign automakers to buy out local partners from joint ventures. In 2022, BMW and Volkswagen had acquired 75% stake in their joint ventures.
The following are foreign manufacturers that operate in China either through wholly-owned manufacturing plants or joint ventures where they own more than 50 percent of the shares.
The following are foreign manufacturers that operate in China through joint ventures where they hold a maximum of 50 percent ownership.
In the 1990s, Chinese automakers pursued Western technology through joint ventures. However, a reversal occurred in the 2020s, with Western manufacturers now seeking technological assistance from Chinese counterparts and invested in China through joint ventures. Several Chinese electric vehicle startups have leveraged their technological advantages, attracting investments from traditional Western automotive giants such as Renault-Nissan, VW, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota and Stellantis.
Since the 2020s, Chinese technology corporations such as Huawei, Baidu, DJI with their advanced software or hardware technological capability started entering the automotive business by various approaches.
Huawei's partnership with automobile manufacturers has taken the form of three business models, from the standardized parts supply model, the "Huawei Inside" (HI) model, and the Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance (HIMA). Baidu and DJI has been providing autonomous driving system and hardware to automotive manufacturers. Qihoo 360 invested in the Chinese EV startup company Hozon Auto. Geely collaborates with Baidu to set up joint venture brands, and acquired Chinese smartphone company Meizu for its Polestar and Lynk & Co brands with its auto OS and AR system. Xiaomi is the first and the only Chinese tech company that is directly involved in automotive design, development and manufacturing, and operates its factory in Beijing.