The BYD group sold 4.6 million vehicles in 2025
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The BYD group sold 4.6 million vehicles in 2025
- The Chinese group BYD (comprising the brands BYD, Denza, Fangchenbao and Yangwang), specializing in battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), has set a new record for its global sales in 2025, with a volume of 4.6 million light vehicles produced exclusively in China (its production in Europe has started in march 2026) compared to 4.27 million in 2024 (representing an increase of 7.7%), 3.02 million in 2023 and 1.86 million in 2022. Among the 4.6 million vehicles sold in 2025, there are almost as many BEVs as PHEVs, specifically 49.6% BEVs and 50.4% PHEVs.
- The sales growth of this carmaker, which really began in 2021, has been one of the most spectacular of all car carmakers over the past four years, allowing BYD to become in a few years the sixth largest carmaker in the world behind Toyota, Volkswagen, Hyundai-Kia, GM and Stellantis.
- BYD's global sales growth was primarily driven by the expansion of the Chinese automotive market, but also by the development of its product range, which has seen a significant increase in battery electric and plug-in hybrid models in recent years. These models have met the strong local demand for vehicles with lower emissions. As long as Chinese competition wasn't too fierce, BYD was able to thrive without any major issues. However, since 2025, and even more so in 2026, BYD has faced increasingly stiff competition, and its sales in China are tending to stabilize.
- China still accounts for the majority of BYD's sales (78% of global BYD sales in 2025). In Europe, BYD is experiencing strong growth, although its sales are still relatively low. The carmaker sold 187,657 vehicles there in 2025, compared to 60,004 in 2024 and 17,398 in 2023.
The Stellantis group sold 5.34 million vehicles in 2025
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The Stellantis group sold 5.34 million vehicles in 2025
- The Stellantis group sold 5.34 million vehicles (passenger cars and light utility vehicles) in 2025, a slight decrease compared to 2024. This group, based on a strong presence in Europe (brands from the former PSA and Fiat groups) and in the USA (brands from the former Chrysler group), has seen its sales decline since its creation in 2021, which resulted from the merger of the PSA (Peugeot-Citroën) and FCA (Fiat-Chrysler) groups.
- While its sales figure was over 6 million vehicles in 2021, it is projected to fall to just 5.4 million units in 2025. Before the merger of the two carmakers, PSA and FCA combined for nearly 8 million sales, and the Stellantis group could have aspired to become the world's fourth-largest carmaker. Today, Stellantis ranks only fifth, neck and neck with the GM group and far behind the three global leaders: Toyota, Volkswagen, and Hyundai-Kia, which each achieve between 7 and 11 million sales per year.
- The Stellantis group faces several problems stemming from the merger: A "pricing" strategy geared towards reducing volumes in favor of the unit value of the models. An excessive number of brands (14) resulting in low profitability; a Fiat range that needs to be completely rebuilt following Marchionne’s strategy; an inconsistent and overestimated electric vehicle strategy in the US, forcing some backtracking; massive losses (over €22 billion by 2025) necessitating a "reset," meaning a complete change of strategy.
- Stellantis sold 313,000 BEVs in 2025 (6% of its total sales) compared to 247,000 in 2024.
The Hyundai-Kia group sold 7.25 million vehicles in 2025
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The Hyundai-Kia group sold 7.25 million vehicles in 2025
- The Hyundai-Kia group sold 7.25 million vehicles (passenger cars and light utility vehicles) worldwide in 2025 (4.11 million under the Hyundai or Genesis brand and 3.14 million under the Kia brand), representing a slight increase of 0.3% compared to 2024, which is equivalent to the volumes recorded in 2023. For the past three years, the Korean group has been relatively stagnant, its sales peak having been reached between 2014 and 2016, with nearly 8 million units sold annually. It appears that the Hyundai-Kia group is facing increasing competition from Chinese carmakers. Evidence of this is that the Korean group has lost considerable influence in China, having sold only 465,000 vehicles in that market in 2025, compared to 1 million in 2019 and 1.8 million in 2016.
- However, the Hyundai-Kia group is consolidating its third place globally, behind the Toyota and Volkswagen groups, because its following competitors (GM and Stellantis) have been experiencing sharp declines for several years.
- The Korean group avoids such setbacks thanks to a consistent and regularly updated product range policy that developped battery electric vehicles. Thus, Hyundai-Kia sold 490,000 BEVs in 2025 (7% of its total sales) compared to 400,000 in 2024, and 85,000 PHEVs compared to 95,000 in 2024. Furthermore, the carmaker sold 795,000 HEVs compared to 650,000 in 2024. These models represent 19% of the carmaker's total sales, compared to 16% in 2024 and 15% in 2023.
- The United States remains the Korean group's largest market, with 1.835 million sales in 2025, compared to 1.708 million in 2024. This is followed by Korea (1.10 million units), Europe (1.04 million), India (0.85 million) and China (0.465 million).
The GM group sold 5.48 million vehicles in 2025
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The GM group sold 5.48 million vehicles in 2025
- The GM group, once the world's leading carmaker for several decades, sold 5.48 million vehicles (passenger cars and light utility vehicles) worldwide in 2025, compared to 5.44 million in 2024, placing it fourth globally. If we exclude the Chinese brands Baojun and Wuling, which are counted by the American carmaker even though the Chinese company SAIC owns more than 50% of its capital, the figure drops to 4.1 million. In this case, GM ranks sixth globally, just ahead of its compatriot Ford.
- If we consider GM's 5.48 million vehicles sold in 2025, GM is neck and neck with Stellantis, which includes the former Chrysler group. GM has lost considerable influence since the period between 2010 and 2015, when it was within reach of 10 million sales per year. The carmaker has therefore lost almost half of its sales since then.
- The sale of its European subsidiaries to the PSA Group in 2017 was one reason for its downsizing, but not the only one. GM is also facing tough competition in China and even in the United States (its historical market), where the former leader has lost some of its luster.
- Let us remember that the GM group, having divested itself of its Oldsmobile brand in 2004, Saturn in 2009, Saab in 2009, Pontiac in 2010, Opel in 2017, Vauxhall in 2017, Holden in 2021, will only include the Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac and GMC brands in 2026.
- Having left the European, Indian, and Russian markets, the GM group is now only present in three major regions: the USA, which represents more than half of its sales, China, and Latin America (South America + Mexico).
- The GM group, including the Chinese brands Baojun and Wuling (which are heavily electrified), sold 1.1 million BEVs in 2025 (20% of its total sales), almost exclusively in China, compared to 821,000 in 2024.
The Volkswagen Group sold 8.98 million vehicles in 2025
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The Volkswagen Group sold 8.98 million vehicles in 2025
- The Volkswagen Group (Volkswagen, Audi, Skoda, Seat, Cupra , Porsche, Bentley, Lamborghini, MAN, Scania) sold 8.98 million vehicles (passenger cars and light utility vehicles) worldwide in 2025, compared to 9.03 million in 2024, representing a decrease of 0.5%. However, despite this (modest) sales decline, the number of BEVs sold increased by 32% to 985,000 units, and that of PHEVs by 58% to 428,000 units. BEVs thus accounted for 11% of the group's global sales, and PHEVs for 5%.
- According to Inovev, the decline in VW Group sales worldwide in 2025 is primarily due to US tariffs on European vehicle imports (VW sales in the US fell by 12.4% in 2025) and also to increasing competition from Chinese carmakers in China (VW sales in China fell by 6.1% in 2025). Fortunately, the growth in VW Group sales in Europe (+4.5%) and South America (+11.5%) helped offset a large portion of these losses.
- By brand, VW Group sales break down as follows: 4,730,000 Volkswagens, 1,623,551 Audis, 1,043,900 Skodas, 586,300 Seat- Cupras, 393,700 Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, and 279,449 Porsches. The remainder is divided between Bentley, Lamborghini and the MAN and Scania heavy goods vehicles grouped in the Traton division.
- Among all these brands, only Skoda and Seat-Cupra are expected to see their sales increase in 2025 compared to 2024, by 12.7% for Skoda (mainly thanks to the Elroq) and by 5.1% for Seat-Cupra (mainly thanks to Cupra).
- The VW Group remains the world's second largest carmaker, equidistant between Toyota and Hyundai-Kia.
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