BYD overtakes Ford in global car sales as three Chinese automakers break into the world’s top 10 rankings for the first time

BYD, Geely and Chery reach global top 10

China Passenger Car Association data show BYD, Geely, and Chery ranked among the world’s top 10 automakers by market share in the first half of 2026. Autoblog reported the ranking on Aug. 6, 2026, using the association’s latest global market share figures.

BYD placed sixth, Geely placed seventh, and Chery placed ninth. The same data put Toyota first with 11% of the global market, showing that established manufacturers still lead overall even as Chinese companies occupy several positions near the top.

Toyota still leads with 11% global share

Toyota remained the world’s largest automaker by market share in the first half of 2026, according to the China Passenger Car Association data cited by Autoblog. Toyota held 11% of the global market, ahead of Volkswagen at 8.1% and Hyundai Kia at 7.6%.

The top 3 positions, therefore, remained with manufacturers from Japan, Germany, and South Korea. Chinese automakers had not taken the global lead, but BYD, Geely, and Chery had moved high enough in the ranking to place 3 Chinese companies inside the global top 10.

BYD rises from 0.6% to 4.8% globally

BYD ranked sixth worldwide with a 4.8% global market share in the first half of 2026. The company held only 0.6% in 2016, so its share increased by 4.2 percentage points over 10 years.

BYD’s 2026 share was slightly below the 5.4% level cited for 2025. Even with that decline, BYD remained the highest-ranked Chinese automaker in the global table, ahead of Geely at 4.6% and Chery at 4.1%.

BYD China deliveries fall 45.9%

BYD faced a sharp decline in its home market in the first half of 2026, even as its global position remained strong. Autoblog reported that BYD’s Chinese deliveries fell 45.9% year over year to 795,169 units in H1 2026.

The source said a major export push helped offset enough domestic weakness for BYD to maintain its global standing. That international volume also helped BYD stay ahead of Ford in the H1 2026 global market share ranking, highlighting how overseas deliveries became more important as the company’s Chinese volume weakened.

BYD moves ahead of Ford in global volume

BYD overtook Ford in overall global vehicle volume for 2025, according to reporting cited by Autoblog. The H1 2026 market share data then showed BYD still ahead of Ford, with BYD in sixth place worldwide at 4.8% and Ford in 10th place at 4.1%.

Autoblog separately reported that BYD sold 4.6 million vehicles in 2025 and finished that year as the world’s sixth-largest automaker by sales. The H1 2026 market share figures show BYD entered 2026 ahead of Ford and remained ahead in the first half of the year.

Geely reaches 4.6% and seventh place

Geely ranked seventh globally with a 4.6% market share in the first half of 2026. The company held 1.5% of the global market in 2016, meaning its share increased by 3.1 percentage points over the decade.

That rise placed Geely only 0.2 percentage points behind BYD’s 4.8% share. Geely also finished ahead of Chery, which held 4.1%, making Geely the second-highest-ranked Chinese automaker in the global top 10 table cited by Autoblog.

Geely expands reach through global brands

Geely Holding’s international position includes major ownership interests in established automotive brands. Volvo Cars, Polestar, and Lotus are all connected to the wider Geely group, helping give the Chinese company an established presence in Western automotive markets.

Geely Holding is the majority shareholder in Volvo Cars, with its stake reported at about 78.9%. Geely-linked shareholders also hold a controlling interest in Polestar, while Geely holds a 51% stake in Lotus. Geely additionally has significant minority interests connected to Mercedes-Benz and Aston Martin.

Chery ties Ford with a 4.1% share

Chery ranked ninth worldwide with a 4.1% global market share in the first half of 2026. That share matched Ford’s 4.1% share in the same ranking, according to data from the China Passenger Car Association cited by Autoblog.

Chery held only 0.8% of the global market in 2016. Its 2026 position, therefore, represents an increase of 3.3 percentage points over 10 years, placing Chery among the 3 Chinese manufacturers that reached the global top 10 during the first half of 2026.

Chery export growth supports global rank

Chery’s rise in the global ranking is closely connected to its expansion in export markets, according to the source article. Autoblog reported that Chery had become a major automotive exporter, rising from 0.8% global market share in 2016 to 4.1% in the first half of 2026.

That expansion lifted Chery to ninth place worldwide and put the company on par with Ford by market share. The figures show that Chery moved from a relatively small global position a decade earlier to a top-10 position by H1 2026.

SAIC ranks 11th with a 3.7% share

SAIC ranked eleventh globally with a 3.7% market share in the first half of 2026, placing another Chinese automaker just outside the top 10. The source article also listed Changan, GWM, BAIC, and Dongfeng among Chinese manufacturers rising in the global top 30.

SAIC’s position means that 4 Chinese automakers ranked among the top 11. BYD was sixth at 4.8%, Geely was seventh at 4.6%, Chery was ninth at 4.1%, and SAIC followed in eleventh at 3.7%.

BYD, Geely and Chery combine for 13.5%

BYD, Geely, and Chery held a combined 13.5% of the global market in the first half of 2026, according to shares reported by Autoblog. Their individual shares were 4.8%, 4.6%, and 4.1%, respectively.

In 2016, the same 3 companies held a combined 2.9%, using the reported figures of 0.6% for BYD, 1.5% for Geely, and 0.8% for Chery. Their combined share therefore increased by 10.6 percentage points over the decade based directly on the market share figures cited in the source.

Ford CEO Jim Farley warns on Chinese rivals

Ford CEO Jim Farley has publicly warned about the competitive challenge Chinese automakers could pose in the U.S. market. His concerns have focused on their pricing, scale, technology development, and government support.

Autoblog reported in April 2026 that Farley warned Chinese automakers could severely disrupt U.S. manufacturing if they gained greater access to the market. His concerns have gained additional context as BYD, Geely, and Chery have expanded internationally, and all 3 reached the global top 10 in market share in H1 2026.

Elon Musk laughed at BYD in a 2011 interview, but BYD now leads the world in EV sales, underscoring why BYD’s earlier U.S. bus work matters as the company weighs bigger passenger-car ambitions.

Bill Ford says U.S. automakers must compete

Ford Chairman Bill Ford said U.S. automakers cannot expect to keep Chinese vehicles out indefinitely. He argued that American manufacturers must be prepared to compete directly with Chinese companies rather than rely solely on barriers to market entry.

The H1 2026 global ranking gives that warning measurable context. BYD ranked sixth at 4.8%, Geely ranked seventh at 4.6%, Chery ranked ninth at 4.1%, and SAIC ranked eleventh at 3.7%, putting several Chinese automakers at major global scale in 2026.

Jim Farley admits he has ‘trust issues’ with Tesla, endorses Waymo instead, and adds another view of how U.S. auto leaders are judging Chinese tech, Tesla, and autonomous vehicle partnerships.

BYD has overtaken Ford in global sales as Chinese automakers gain ground. Do you think this marks a lasting shift in the global auto industry?

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This slideshow was made with AI assistance and human editing.