Legacy automakers lag as Chinese EV makers surge globally

The International Council on Clean Transportation’s fourth annual Global Automaker Rating shows that legacy manufacturers in the United States, Japan and Europe are falling behind new electric‑vehicle (EV) market leaders. Chinese firms dominate the top ranks, with BYD overtaking Tesla in global battery‑EV sales for the second consecutive year. SAIC, Geely, and ChangAn each secured at least a 50 % EV sales share, while most other makers rely more on plug‑in hybrids. Stellantis, Honda and GM saw sharp rating declines after cutting their 2030 EV targets, and U.S. and Japanese automakers now sell EVs in fewer than one‑third of the vehicle segments analyzed. “The window for some legacy automakers to catch up is narrowing,” said Irem Kok of the ICCT. Rachel Muncrief warned that failure to expand electric model line‑ups could cede market leadership.

At the same time, Chinese automaker Geely is targeting growth abroad. It plans to double foreign sales of its EV brands Zeekr and Lynk & Co, aiming for more than 100,000 units in 2026. Geely will begin producing the Zeekr 7X in Malaysia through its 49.9 % stake in Proton starting in early 2027 and is expanding Zeekr’s presence to South Korea, New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom. The strategy seeks to capture market share in protected regions without building new factories.