One in four new vehicles sold in the world will be electric this year. And among these, most will be brands like Byd, Nio, Xpeng, Xiaomi, Zeekr or Geely – all manufactured in China.
In 2025, it is estimated that one in four New cars sold globally be electric, whether completely the battery or plug-in hybrid.
It is a significant increase Face to only five years ago, when electric vehicle sales represented less than one in 20 new cars.
In the US, however, sales of electricity have been behind, representing only one in ten by 2024. In China, the largest car market on the planet, more than half of sales of new vehicles are electric.
According to one released in May by the International Energy Agency, an intergovernmental organization that analyzes world energy consumption, 2/3 of totally electric cars in China They are now cheaper than its gasoline equivalents.
Com Costs of use and maintenance already lowerthe electricals become even more attractive purchases, note o.
This growing world market of electric and hybrids has been increasingly dominated by Chinese manufacturerswhich produce a wide range of models, from city citys such as Byd Seagull, the large SUV such as Xpeng G9, through luxury models such as ZEEKR 009.
Chinese cars were usually target of easy jokes.
However, highlights, the more recent European evaluations in collision tests attributed the classifications maximum safety To several Chinese models, many of which cost less than similar cars manufactured in other countries.
What is the key to Chinese success?
Several factors explain the rise of Chinese brands in the production and sale of electric vehicles.
Among them, the relatively low labor costs and generous governmental subsidiesgiven that the electric automotive sector was one of the advanced technologies chosen by the Beijing government to reinforce China’s global technological profile.
But Chinese companies have gone further. They bet strongly on industrial robotizationeven build the calls “dark factories”capable of working with minimal human intervention.
They also bet on paying attention to consumers: reinvented the interiorswith large tactile screens for infentity and even extra as a refrigeratorbed or karaoke system.
A Competition between Chinese manufacturers is fiercestimulating innovation. Byd is the Largest Electric Vehicle Sellerboth in China and worldwide. The brand claims to employ More than 100,000 scientists and engineers dedicated to the continuous improvement of their cars.
According to, from the conceptual phase to the launch of models in mass production, BYD takes time 18 months, half the time spent by US manufacturers and other international groups,
The company is also the second largest producer of electric vehicle batteries and has developed a new battery that can be recharged in just five minutes, as necessary to fill a gas tank.
Fire tests
A true proof of competitiveness Chinese cars will be given in exports. The manufacturers They aggressively seek external marketsbecause the installed capacity far exceeds 25 million vehicles sold annually in China – which can reach double.
Beijing already exports more cars than any other country, even especially gasoline. However, markets for Chinese electric expand to Western EuropeSoutheast Asia, Latin America, Australia and other regions.
O largest market closed to Chinese carsboth electric and combustion, remains North America.
Both the US and Canada raised a kind of “Tariff Fortaleza”To protect its manufacturers, imposing 100% rates on Chinese electric vehicle imports, literally Duplicating the final price for consumers.
The buyers budget also weighs. The average price of a new electric vehicle in the USA is around 55 thousand dollars. There are cheaper options, but without the tax deductions that the Trump administration plans to eliminate After September 2025, almost no model approaches $ 25,000.
Chinese companies produce several electricals below this value, Like Xpeng M03, BYD Dolphin or MG4, even without tax support. If they were sold in America, however, the 100% rates would cancel the advantage price.
Tesla, Ford and General Motors ensure that it is developing more affordable models, but High range vehicles remain the most Rentáiis. And with the “Tariff Fortaleza”, the incentive to invest in cheap electricals is lower.
The US also started with resist the input of Japanese cars In the 1970s and 1980s. But a combination of consumers’ preference and decisions of brands such as Toyota, Honda and Nissan to open factories on American soil ended up breaking the opposition.
Today, the Japanese cars are habitual presence on the US roads. The same may happen to Chinese manufacturers, although it is not clear how long it will take until this happens.
The Chinese have time.
