Summary of the main current premium brands in China: rise of Chinese carmakers
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Summary of the main current premium brands in China: rise of Chinese carmakers
- If we summarise the various analyses on Chinese premium brands that are developing in China for an affluent clientele and are starting to arrive in Europe to compete with Audi, BMW, Mercedes and Porsche, we find that these Chinese premium brands represent a production volume of 2.1 million cars in 2025, or 7% of Chinese car production, but are constantly increasing, while non-Chinese premium brands represent 9% of Chinese car production (2.8 million units) and have been constantly declining since 2024.
- Let us summarize here the different Chinese Premium brands in descending order of production in 2025:
• Hongqi (FAW): 450,000 units,
• Xiaomi: 400,000 units,
• Zeekr (Geely): 210,000 units,
• NIO: 165,000 units,
• Voyah (Dongfeng): 150,000 units,
• Denza (BYD): 145,000 units,
• Avatr (Changan): 120,000 units,
• Exeed (Chery): 100,000 units,
• Wey (Great Wall): 100,000 units,
• IM Motors (SAIC): 80,000 units,
• Luxeed (Chery): 40,000 units
• Yang Wang (BYD): 5,000 units.
- Hongqi is therefore the leading Chinese premium brand, benefiting from its status as a traditional automotive supplier to the Chinese government and high-ranking officials. Its product range, however, became more accessible in the 2010s and 2020s, targeting a wide variety of customers, but always affluent ones.
- Xiaomi (second Premium brand) is very recent and has had a spectacular breakthrough in the Chinese market from the start (one of the brand's two models, the Xiaomi SU7, was the 10th best-selling models in China in 2025).
- The other ten or so Chinese premium brands are linked to each of the largest Chinese automotive groups.
Hongqi is the premium brand of the FAW group
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Hongqi is the premium brand of the FAW group
- Hongqi (“Red Flag” in English), belonging to the Chinese group FAW (First Automotive Works), is the oldest Chinese brand of passenger cars, having been created in 1958 for high-ranking officials and dignitaries of the Chinese communist regime, similar to the ZIL car brand in Russia.
- Its limited production ceased in 1981, its black limousines being replaced by stretched Audi A6s (FAW being responsible for the licensed production of Audi models), but it resumed some fifteen years later in a new form, with Hongqi becoming the premium brand of the FAW group and its range has continued to grow since the end of the 2010s. Today, around fifteen different models make up the Hongqi range including eight D, E and F segment sedans, six D, E and F segment SUVs, as well as an E segment minivan.
- In Europe, the best-known model is the all-electric EHS9 F-segment SUV, which targeted the Bentley Bentayga and Rolls-Royce Cullinan, for a much lower price (70,000 to 80,000 euros depending on the version) and whose production ceased in 2025, after 15,974 units were produced from 2020 to 2024.
- The size and diversity of the Hongqi range, along with its prestigious history, allows the brand to outpace all its rivals, with production in China reaching 418,241 units in the first 11 months of 2025, suggesting a volume of 450,000 units for the entire year. The brand has come a long way, having produced only 5,025 cars in 2016, 5,835 in 2017, 33,574 in 2018, 104,056 in 2019, 209,197 in 2020, 318,696 in 2021, 302,676 in 2022, 340,500 in 2023, and 417,520 in 2024.
Wey is the premium brand of the Great Wall group
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Wey is the premium brand of the Great Wall group
- Wey is a luxury or premium car brand owned by Great Wall Motors, the fifth-largest Chinese automaker, after BYD, Geely, Chery, and Changan. Founded in 2016, the brand primarily produces SUVs and minivans. Its name is derived from the first name of Great Wall Motors' founder, Wei Jiangjun . In 2018, Wey unveiled its first all-electric model. In 2022, Wey announced its arrival in Europe.
- Today, the Wey range consists of five different models: Wey Latte (C-segment SUV, Thermal gasoline 1.5 or 2.0 available, 4.67 m long, 0 units produced in China in 2025) known as Wey Coffee 02 in European markets, Wey Mocca (SUV segment D, Thermal PHEV, 4.88 m long, 2,174 units over 11 months to 2025) known as Wey Coffee 01 in European markets, Wey Macchiato (C segment SUV, F-HEV 1.5, 4.52 m long, 0 units in 2025), Wey Lanshan (E-segment SUV, PHEV, 5.16 m long, 37,746 units), Wey Gaoshan (E-segment MPV, PHEV, 5.05 m or 5.40 m to choose from, 51,840 units).
- Wey brand, which names its models after coffee specialties (Coffee, Macchiato , Mokka, Latte), has experienced ups and downs, with 86,427 units produced in China in 2017, 139,486 in 2018, 99,943 in 2019, 78,500 in 2020, 142,951 in 2021, 36,381 in 2022, 41,602 in 2023 and 54,728 in 2024. In 2025, it doubles its production volume, with 91,760 units in the first 11 months of 2025, which suggests a volume of 100,000 units for the whole year. It is noticeable that this Premium brand has much more success with its larger models than with its more compact models.
Voyah is the premium brand of the Dongfeng group
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Voyah is the premium brand of the Dongfeng group
- Voyah is a luxury or premium brand from the Chinese group Dongfeng Motor (the tenth largest Chinese automaker) specializing in high-end, battery electric vehicles. Founded in September 2020, Voyah launched its first model in December 2020 and currently offers four different models, with a total of 139,934 units produced in the first 11 months of 2025, suggesting a projected volume of approximately 150,000 units for the entire year.
- Here is how the Voyah range will be composed as of January 1, 2026 : Voyah Free (SUV segment D, BEV, 4.90 m long, 42,705 units produced in China in the first 11 months of 2025), Voyah Zhiyin (SUV segment D, BEV, 4.72 m long, 18,902 units) also called Voyah Passion and recently available in PHEV version, Voyah Zhuiguang (sedan segment E, BEV, 5.09 m long, 5,893 units), Voyah Dream (MPV segment E, BEV, 5.32 m long, 72,434 units).
- The Voyah brand has been steadily increasing since its creation in 2020. The year 2021 ended with a production volume in China of 7,602 units, 23,471 in 2022, 52,599 in 2023, 85,094 in 2024 and therefore nearly 150,000 in 2025.
- As with the Wey brand of the Great Wall group, the biggest seller of the Voyah brand is a large minivan which generally serves as a large luxury limousine in China, regardless of the brand.
- Compared to its Chinese competitors, the Voyah brand is a medium-sized Premium carmaker, comparable to brands like Denza, Avatr or NIO.
IM Motors is the premium brand of the SAIC group
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IM Motors is the premium brand of the SAIC group
- The IM Motors brand (“Intelligence in Motion”) was created in December 2020 by the SAIC group – which produces Volkswagen, Buick, Chevrolet, and Cadillac vehicles under license, but also owns its own brands such as MG, Maxus, and Roewe, the last vestiges of the defunct British MG-Rover group – in partnership with the Chinese technology companies Zhangjiang Hi-Tech and Alibaba Group. SAIC is also the majority owner of the Chinese brands Baojun and Wuling .
- IM Motors is the luxury or premium brand of the SAIC group, specializing in battery electric vehicles, which presented its first models in 2021. In 2023, SAIC and Audi announced their partnership under which SAIC will provide the ADP platform used by the premium brand IM Motors for future battery electric Audi models produced in China.
- Today, the IM Motors range comprises five models, including two sedans (L6, L7) and three SUVs (LS6, LS7, LS9): L6 (D-segment sedan, BEV, 4.93 m long, 19,619 units produced in China over 11 months to 2025), L7 (E-segment sedan, BEV, 5.10 m long, 105 units), LS6 (D-segment SUV, BEV or PHEV, 4.90 m long, 48,729 units), LS7 (E-segment SUV, BEV, 5.05 m long, 547 units) and LS9 (E-segment SUV, REEV, 5.28 m long, 3,388 units).
- IM Motors' production volume was 72,388 units in the first 11 months of 2025, which suggests a volume of 80,000 units for the whole year, compared to 65,393 in 2024, 38,442 in 2023, 6,202 in 2022 and 269 in 2021.
- IM Motors is one of the smaller Chinese premium carmakers, but the position of each is likely to change significantly in the coming years, as this premium market has not yet reached maturity.
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