There is always talk about Chinese cars arriving in Europe, but which vehicles are the most successful in their home market? The data for January 2025, recently published on various national platforms, provides interesting insights into the models most favored by Chinese consumers, particularly across different categories.
The data also shows a decline for BYD, considered the largest Chinese automaker by volume. Last month, only one BYD model made it into the top 10. Instead, Geely has taken over as the market leader, dominating both the SUV and hatchback sedan segments.
That said, the Chinese car market is also experiencing difficulties. In January, retail sales of passenger vehicles in China reached 1.794 million units, marking a 12.1% year-on-year decline and a 31.9% drop compared to the previous month.
Kingdom of Geely
In the sedan and hatchback segment, the Geely Geome Xingyuan took the top spot with 28,146 units sold, surpassing all other models. The Xingyuan’s success is partly due to its pricing strategy, offering performance comparable to the BYD Dolphin but at a price closer to the BYD Seagull.
The rest of the sedan podium is dominated by Volkswagen, with the Sagitar (a model sold exclusively in China and produced with FAW) in second place and the Passat in third. Volkswagen also secured another spot in the top 10 with the Lavida in sixth place. If we consider the entire group, the Audi A6L—its long-wheelbase sedan version—ranks ninth. BYD appears only once in this category, with the Seagull in tenth place, while Geely also ranks seventh with the Preface.
In the SUV segment, the Geely Xingyue L took the spotlight, selling 29,434 units and securing the top position for the first time. Geely placed two more SUVs in the rankings: the Bonyue L in fourth place and the Galaxy Starship 7 EM-i in fifth. With this performance, Geely dethroned Tesla, whose Model Y dropped to second place.
Volkswagen placed only one SUV in the rankings, with the Tiguan L in eighth place, followed by the Honda CR-V in ninth. BYD once again ranked tenth, this time with the Song Pro.
BYD remains dominant only in the MPV segment, leading with the Denza D9 DM, its luxury offering. It is followed by the Toyota Sienna and, in third place, the Buick GL8, the only American vehicle in a China’s top 10. The Voyah Dreamer PHEV, ranking fourth, stands out as the only MPV currently sold in Europe, while BYD also placed another MPV, the Xia, in eighth place.
Another interesting takeaway is that Geely’s high sales volume in China comes exclusively from the Geely brand itself. None of its other brands—such as Zeekr (which still performs well), Lynk & Co, Smart, or Polestar—achieved numbers high enough to enter the top 10.
