According to a report published by Jato Dynamics, Chinese automotive brands achieved a 91 percent year-on-year increase in European sales during the first half of 2025, reaching 347,135 units and capturing a record 5.1 percent of the market. This marks a significant rise from the 2.7 percent share held by these brands in the same period of 2024. The analysis covered 28 European markets and highlighted that Chinese marques now sit just behind Mercedes-Benz (5.2 percent) and ahead of Ford (3.8 percent) in market share rankings. In June, Chinese manufacturers even surpassed Mercedes-Benz in total monthly sales for the first time.
Five companies—BYD, Jaecoo, Omoda, Leapmotor, and Xpeng—were identified as primary growth drivers. BYD’s aggressive pricing strategy contributed to its delivery of 70,500 vehicles in the first half, a 311 percent increase year-on-year; June sales alone totaled 15,565 units, placing BYD among Europe’s top 25 best-selling brands and ahead of Suzuki, Mini, and Jeep. The BYD Seal U (formerly the Song Plus DM-i) tied with the Volkswagen Tiguan as June’s best-selling plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) and ranked third for the first half of the year.
Chery’s sub-brands, Jaecoo and Omoda, also reported strong gains, driven largely by internal combustion engine (ICE) models alongside a growing share of plug-in hybrid SUVs, which accounted for 29 percent of their June registrations. Leapmotor recorded over 8,300 deliveries in June, powered by demand for its T03 city sedan and C10 SUV. Xpeng became the leading Chinese premium-brand in Europe with 8,338 registrations in H1 2025, buoyed by 5,615 units of its G6 model.
On the incumbent side, Stellantis experienced the steepest decline among major automakers, with market share dropping from 16.7 percent to 15.3 percent year-on-year. Tesla followed with a decrease from 2.4 percent to 1.6 percent, as SAIC overtook Tesla in European sales for the first half of the year. SAIC’s volumes rose 22 percent to 162,153 units, while Tesla’s sales fell 33 percent to 109,264 units.
Source: CNEVPost
