Chongqing Reclaims Title as China’s Top Auto Manufacturer After Nine Years

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The southwestern city of Chongqing has reclaimed its position at the top of China’s vehicle manufacturing rankings after a nine-year gap, driven largely by the electric vehicle surge, according to recent figures.

Last year, Chongqing produced 2.78 million vehicles, the highest in the country, marking a 9.7% increase from the previous year, according to the local Economy and Information Technology Commission. The growth was significantly fueled by new energy vehicles, which saw a 36% rise to reach 1.29 million units.

Historically known as China’s “Car Capital,” Chongqing held this title for three consecutive years, from 2014 to 2016. Shenzhen took the lead in 2024 with 2.93 million NEVs, but changes in statistical approaches mean this record is now in the past.

In the first eleven months of 2025, southern Guangdong province produced 2.71 million vehicles, a slight year-on-year increase of 0.1%, per recent data from the Guangdong Provincial Bureau of Statistics. This suggests that Shenzhen may no longer have the scale necessary to compete independently for the top spot.

Chongqing’s auto industry growth last year was supported by established companies like state-owned Changan Automobile and rising firms such as Seres Group. Changan reached a milestone in December 2025 by producing its 30 millionth vehicle, and that same month, the city issued China’s first license plate for an L3 autonomous driving vehicle.

Early this year, Seres’ Aito brand hit a major milestone at its large-scale factory in Chongqing’s Liangjiang New Area, with its one-millionth vehicle, an Aito M9, rolling off the assembly line. This model also marked the 270,000th delivery. Seres aims to produce an additional one million vehicles over the next two years, with the goal of establishing Chongqing as a hub for smart, connected new energy vehicles.

Meanwhile, other major cities like Beijing and Shanghai—both directly governed by the central government—also produce over one million vehicles annually. From January to November 2025, Shanghai manufactured around 1.6 million units, including 1.04 million NEVs, while Beijing produced approximately 1.33 million vehicles, reflecting a 27.6% increase compared to the same period in the previous year.

Beyond these megacities, Hefei has been emerging as a strong contender for the title of “China’s Car Capital,” having produced the highest number of NEVs among all Chinese cities during the first eleven months of 2025, totaling 1.23 million units.