China's Road to the Top

In 2000, almost every one of the world’s ten biggest carmakers came from Japan, Europe or North America.

By 2025, China had become the world’s largest car market, the world’s largest exporter of cars and home to some of the fastest-growing manufacturers on Earth.

For most of the twentieth century, the global car industry was dominated by a handful of famous names. Companies such as Ford, General Motors (GM), Volkswagen and Toyota built millions of vehicles every year and became symbols of industrial success. But over the last 25 years, the industry has undergone one of the biggest transformations in its history. New technologies, changing consumer tastes, environmental concerns and the rapid rise of China have reshaped the global automotive landscape.