The Chinese car market will grow by approximately 12% in 2025
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The Chinese car market will grow by approximately 12% in 2025
- The Chinese passenger car market is projected to grow by nearly 12% in 2025, according to figures from the latest 10 months of the year. This means the market is expected to just surpass 25 million cars sold in 2025, a record high. China will therefore remain the world's largest car market.
- In 2024, the Chinese market reached 22.6 million passenger cars, representing a 3% increase compared to 2023 (21.9 million units). Growth then accelerated in 2025, jumping from +3% to +12%.
- Exports are expected to be just over 5.5 million units, compared to 5.0 million in 2024 and 4.1 million in 2023.
- BYD remains the leader in the Chinese market (15% market share), up 13% compared to 2024, ahead of Geely (11%), up 41%, and Chery (9%), up 12%. Volkswagen, formerly the leader in the Chinese market, finds itself in fourth position this year with 9% market penetration, down 2% compared to 2024, after several years of decline in the face of the offensive by Chinese carmakers. GM follows (7%), up 43%, but this is actually misleading since 70% of this volume relates to the Wuling and Baojun subsidiaries, which are 50.1% owned by the Chinese group SAIC, while GM includes these subsidiaries in its own scope, owning 34%. GM's true market share should therefore be 3.5%, not 7%. Next come Changan (6%), Toyota (5%), Great Wall (4%), SAIC (3%, but actually 6.5% including Wuling and Baojun), and Tesla (3%). Chinese carmakers collectively hold 70% of the Chinese market.
The new Renault Trafic E-Tech, designed by Flexis, will replace the old electric Trafic
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The new Renault Trafic E-Tech, designed by Flexis, will replace the old electric Trafic
- Renault has presented its new battery electric Trafic E-Tech light commercial vehicle, the result of Flexis design, i.e. in collaboration with the joint venture that brings together the companies Renault, Volvo and CMA CGM. The new vehicle, based on a completely new platform dedicated to battery electric commercial vehicles, is one of the three new Flexvan models that will be marketed from summer 2026: the Trafic E-Tech, the Goélette E-Tech and the Estafette E-Tech.
- These three models are also expected to be marketed under the Volvo Trucks and Renault Trucks brands. They are scheduled to be produced at Renault's Sandouville plant, where the Renault Trafic and Renault Trucks Trafic are currently produced. Inovev forecasts a production of 2,500 units in 2026, 5,000 units in 2027, 6,000 units in 2028, 7,000 units in 2029, and 8,000 units in 2030 under the Renault brand.
- Business customers will be able to choose between an LFP battery offering a 350 km range or an NMC battery (more expensive) offering a 450 km range. In all cases, the model will benefit from Ampere 's 800V technology, enabling fast charging.
- The production of these battery electric models will replace that of the current electric Renault Trafic, while the thermal version of the current Renault Trafic will continue its career for several years.
Dodge and Chrysler brands at a low point
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Dodge and Chrysler brands at a low point
- The Dodge brand is the surviving main stream brand of the former Chrysler group, which during its heyday (1955-1960) included five brands, three of which were main streams (Plymouth, Dodge, De Soto) and two premium (Chrysler, Imperial).
- The product range policy imposed on the Dodge brand led to a drastic drop in its sales in the United States and consequently in its production volume. Indeed, FCA management decided to eliminate the Dart, Avenger, Journey, and Viper models, which contributed either to sales volume or to the Dodge brand image. But the most dramatic decision was to discontinue the Caravan minivan, one of the brand's best-selling vehicles, the reason being that this model was not in line with Dodge's sporty character. As a result, Chrysler (the only surviving premium brand from the former Chrysler group) was the sole entity authorized to market the Caravan's replacement, the Pacifica, as this minivan better suited Chrysler's luxury image.
- Today, Dodge only sells three models, the Charger sedan, the Charger coupe and the Durango SUV, while Chrysler only offers one model in its lineup, the Pacifica minivan also sold under the name Voyager.
- Dodge's downfall was the result of three strategic choices that proved unfortunate: first, reducing the Dodge range to three models; second, prioritizing electric motors on the Charger sedans and coupe when demand was more focused on internal combustion engines; third, refusing to market a luxury version of the new Charger sedan under the Chrysler brand as a replacement for the Chrysler 300 sedan, which sold 1.5 million units from 2004 to 2024 and was derived from the old Dodge Charger sedan.
Renault will produce electric Ford vehicles in Douai starting in 2028
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Renault will produce electric Ford vehicles in Douai starting in 2028
- The American carmaker Ford has just signed an agreement with French carmaker Renault for the production of new battery electric cars at the Renault site in Douai (France) and at the Renault site in Maubeuge (France) from 2028. These would be models derived from the Renault 5 E-Tech and the Renault Mégane E-Tech.
- It is clear that the all-electric Ford Capri and Explorer, based on the Volkswagen ID.3 and ID.4 platform and produced at Ford's Cologne plant in Germany, are not proving very successful – due to a price considered too high – and are not meeting the carmaker's objectives. 8,300 Capris were produced in 2024 and 16,500 in 2025. The Explorer, on the other hand, was produced in 2024 and 45,000 in 2025. It is also far from the production volumes of the Fiesta at the Cologne plant.
- Having a partnership with Renault to produce new battery electric models in the B and C segments (in a way, the successors to the Fiesta and Focus) would allow Ford to recover some of the volumes lost with the end of the Fiesta and Focus and would allow Renault to get closer to its production targets in Douai, which had been set at 400,000 cars produced per year.
- In 2024, the Douai plant produced 90,000 electric cars, and 2025 is expected to end with a volume of 150,000 units. It is surprising that Ford chose to partner with Renault rather than Volkswagen for its future electric vehicles, as its current Capri and Explorer electric models are based on a Volkswagen platform.
Inovev forecasts 600,000 units per year of the new Toyota Hilux pickup truck
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Inovev forecasts 600,000 units per year of the new Toyota Hilux pickup truck
- The Toyota Hilux is a traditional mid-range pickup truck, with its first generation appearing in 1968 and its ninth generation having just been unveiled. This new Hilux will attempt to revive sales of the model, which have fallen from nearly 700,000 units in 2022 to just over 500,000 in 2025. It's worth noting that it is the best-selling and most produced mid-range pickup truck in the world, but the larger Ford F-Series surpasses it in global sales (around 900,000 units per year).
- The new Toyota Hilux, with an exterior design made by Toyota Australia, is available with a 2.8-liter four-cylinder turbodiesel engine producing 201 hp (150 kW) or a 2.7-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine producing 161 hp (120 kW). A major innovation compared to previous generations, the new Toyota Hilux will be available with a fully electric powertrain (BEV) starting in 2026 and even a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) from 2028.
- Regarding the battery electric version, the carmaker deliberately limited the battery capacity to 59.2 kWh for weight reasons. As a result, the range of the model equipped with this powertrain does not exceed 240 km.
- Hilux pickup will be assembled in several countries: Argentina, India, Malaysia, South Africa and especially Thailand (60% of global Hilux production). Inovev is forecasting 600,000 sales per year of the new Toyota Hilux in total.