Industry

The 10 Most Valuable Automobile Companies in China 2020

You’ve probably heard of Li Auto and Xpeng Motors, the two Chinese electric vehicle makers which recently listed on the Nasdaq. As the world’s largest automobile market, China has numerous car brands, and we’re going to provide a brief list of China’s most valuable automobile companies by market capitalization as of August 2020.

10 most valuable car makers in China

1. BYD

BYD
  • Founded: 1995
  • Traded as: SZSE: 002594/SEHK: 1211
  • Market cap: 232.96 billion yuan (as of August 29, 2020)

Founded in 1995, the Chinese auto giant BYD Company is listed on the Hongkong and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges, with revenue and market capitalization both surpassing 100 billion yuan. The company has two major subsidiaries, BYD Automobile and BYD Electronic. On July 10, 2020, BYD’s total market capitalization reached 225.3 billion yuan, exceeding SAIC’s 221.2 billion yuan to become China’s largest automobile company by market capitalization.

2. SAIC Motor

  • Founded: 1985
  • Traded as: SSE: 600104
  • Market cap: 221.28 billion yuan (as of August 29, 2020)

SAIC Motor is a Chinese state-owned automotive company based in Shanghai, and is also China’s first auto company to go global. There are a variety of popular car brands selling under SAIC, such as the MG, Roewe, Baojun, Buick, Wuling, etc. It also collaborates with large international carmakers like General Motors and Volkswagen. SAIC Motor used to be China’s most valuable auto company, but this July it was surpassed by BYD. With a sales revenue of $122.0714 billion, SAIC Motor placed 52nd on the 2020 Fortune Global 500 list released on Aug. 10.

3. NIO

NIO, founded by William Li in 2014, is a Chinese electric vehicle startup headquartered in Shanghai, specialized in designing and developing smart and interconnected electric vehicles. On Sept. 12, 2018, NIO was listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the ticker symbol “NIO”, which was China’s first EV startup to go public in the US. According to NIO’s recent report, it delivered 3,965 vehicles in August, representing a strong 104.1% year-over-year growth and achieving another monthly delivery record.

Ep. 22: NIO – The Road Ahead for “China’s Tesla”

4. Geely

  • Founded: 1986
  • Traded as: HKSE: 175
  • Market cap: 136.81 billion Yuan (as of August 29, 2020)

Geely Auto is a leading automobile brand based in Hangzhou, China. In 2010 it purchased the Swedish brand Volvo from Ford for $1.8 billion. Then in 2018, it acquired a close to 10% stake in Daimler Motors. Now, Geely is worth more than 136 billion yuan and is among the 500 largest companies in China.

5. Great Wall Motor

  • Founded: 1984
  • Traded as: SEHK: 2333
  • Market cap: 125.4 billion Yuan (as of August 29, 2020)

Great Wall Motor (GWM) is a famous Chinese auto brand, named after the Great Wall of China. It owns four brands: HAVAL, WEY, ORA and GWM Pickup, and mainly produces pickups, SUVs, family cars and new energy vehicles. It was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2003 and the Shanghai Stock Exchange in 2011. It ranked 5th among the top 10 Chinese car companies by market capitalization by the end of August 2020.

6. Xpeng Motors

  • Founded: 2014
  • Traded as: NYSE: XPEV
  • Market cap: 110.32 billion Yuan (as of August 29, 2020)

Headquartered in Guangzhou, Xpeng Motors is a leading Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer. On July 20, it announced its Series C+ financing of $500 million from a group of investors including Aspex, Coatue, Hillhouse Capital and Sequoia Capital China. In August 2020, Xpeng raised an additional $400 million ahead of its US IPO listing from Alibaba, Qatar Investment Authority and Adu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund. Soon after the two rounds of financing, Xpeng Motors kicked off trading on the New York Stock Exchange on the evening of Aug. 27. With a closing price of $21.22, its market capitalization summed $15 billion.

7. GAC Group

  • Founded: 1955
  • Traded as: SSE: 601238
  • Market cap: 107.19 billion Yuan (as of August 29, 2020)

Guangzhou Automobile Group Co., Ltd. (GAC Group), headquartered in Guangzhou China, is the first to be listed both in the A-Share and H-Share markets among all state-owned auto groups. Currently, GAC is well-known for having joint ventures with many of the world’s largest auto manufacturers, including Fiat, Honda, Isuzu, Mitsubishi, and Toyota.

8. Li Auto

  • Founded: 2015
  • Traded as: SZSE: 000625
  • Market cap: 101.04 billion Yuan (as of August 29, 2020)

Li Auto (formerly known as Leading Ideal) is a five-year-old Chinese electric vehicle maker. On July 30, the fast growing EV company went public on the Nasdaq Global Market as “LI”. It is the second Chinese EV startup to be listed in the US, following NIO’s 2019 IPO. From January to August 2020, the delivery volume of Li ONE totaled 14,656 vehicles, according to Li Auto’s WeChat public account.

9. FAW Group

  • Founded: 1956
  • Traded as: SZSE: 000800
  • Market cap: 66.24 billion Yuan (as of August 29, 2020)

FAW Group Corporation (First Automobile Works) is a Chinese state-owned auto company founded in 1956. In 1958, FAW unveiled China’s first domestically produced passenger car, the Hong Qi, becoming China’s first automobile manufacturer. In addition to Hong Qi, Bingo, Sitech and Haima are FAW’s most popular electric car brands.

10. Changan Automobile

  • Founded: 1862
  • Traded as: SZSE: 000625
  • Market cap: 57.73 billion Yuan (as of August 29, 2020)

Changan Automobile is a state-owned automobile manufacturer based in Chongqing, China. As one of the top selling domestic Chinese car brands, Changan has boasted its industrial history stretching back 158 years since it was established in 1862. It is an early leader in China’s auto industry. Alongside Dongfeng Motor Corporation, FAW and SAIC Motor, Changan Automobile is one of the “Big Four” Chinese automakers.


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