10 Chinese EV Companies To Look Into

Chinese EV companies are on the rise and growing thanks mostly due to intense regulations placed on automakers in China to build more EVs.

Although we don’t know these EV names as well as we do Tesla, many of the companies selling electric cars in China are well-known in the world’s largest auto market. If you’re looking for a good place to invest some money, these electric car brands based in China could easily be the right companies for your investment. Let’s consider ten of them and give you an idea of what each one offers.

SAIC Motor – The Biggest EV Name

You would expect a state-owned company with headquarters in Shanghai to be the largest automaker in the country. That’s certainly the case for SAIC Motor. This is the parent company of seven different brands which are Maxus, MG, Wuling, Roewe, Baojun, Feifan, and IM. SAIS has also partnered with two globally popular names, Volkswagen, and General motors to sell models bearing both brand names in China. The Hongguang MINI EV is the most popular electric vehicle in the country, making SAIC Motor the largest EV manufacturer in China.

Changan Automobile – An EV Name From a Historic Past

Changan is another state-owned automaker with roots that take bac to 1862 and a military equipment factory that was based in Shanghai. This name is considered one of the “Big Four” in China and is one of the largest Chinese EV companies in the country. The goal is to provide EVs by 2025, at which time Changan will no longer produce gasoline and diesel models. Brands that are part of this company include Changan, Oshan, and Kaicene. Changan also enjoyed joint ventures with Ford and Mazda.

Geely – This EV Company has a Global Reach

While Geely might not be the top name in China, it is present in many countries around the world. Established as Geely Auto in 1997, this company is headquartered in Hangzhou City. Geely has strong investments in Volvo, Zeekr, Smart, LEVC, and Lotus brands and sold more than 2.2 million vehicles globally in 2021. This number makes Geely the top-selling Chinese automaker for five consecutive years. There are more than 40 production and assembly facilities located in North America, Europe, China, and South East Asia, under the Geely name.

BYD – An Electronics Company in the EV World

Its not a secret that EV development will depend on electronics, which makes BYD one of the top Chinese EV companies. Founded in 1995 by Wang Chuanfu, BYD entered the auto industry when they acquired Qinchuan Automobile Company in 2003. This company makes cars, buses, trucks, electric bikes, forklifts, and rechargeable batteries. Something interesting about BYD; its backed by Berkshire Hathaway Holding, a company of which Warren Buffett is the CEO. 2021 was a banner year for BYD with EV sales increasing by 232% breaking its previous record.

XPENG Motors – One of the Newest Chinese Companies

XPENG was established in 2014 by four entrepreneurs and is one of the newest names in China. Alibaba Group is one of the shareholders of this company, which makes sense since one of the founders is a former executive for Alibaba. XPENG has headquarters in Guangzhou and operates in the United States, Germany, the Netherlands, and Norway. This company has EV models that are extremely similar to Tesla models with features that go by almost identical names.

NIO – You’ve Probably Heard of this Company

NIO is in the news a lot, even in America. The founder is Lihong Qin and William Li who is conserved to be the Chinese version of Elon Musk. This company works to be a leader in smart EV technology, which could lead to autonomous cars and better digital tech for the future. As one of the more famous of the Chinese EV companies, NIO has fully automatic “Battery Exchange Stations” allowing discharged batteries to be replaced with new ones. There are more than 800 of these stations in China, but the first one outside of China opened in Europe in Norway this past January.

Leapmotor- A Camera-Based EV Tech Company

Leapmotor is funded by the same person that founded Dahua, one of the largest security camera manufacturers in the world. This company introduced its first artificial intelligence chip in 202 to be used in cars for autonomous driving. While not entirely hands-free, Leapmotor pioneers the movement toward self-driving vehicles and the future of automotive technology. During the first four months of this year, Leapmotor sold more than 30,000 EV models, making it one of the most important Chinese EV companies in a very short time.

Aiways – A Company that Only Makes EVs

You might have already guessed that some of these companies, especially those that are newer in the market, will only make electric vehicles. Aiways is one of those names. Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Shanghai, this company only builds electric vehicles. They use an innovated and digitized facility in Shangroa to produce 300,000 vehicle each year. This company also operates in Germany and Denmark, where it has R&D centers.

Hozon Auto – A New Company That’s Taking Off

Hozon Auto has R&D centers in Silicon Valley, Beijing, and Jaixing. Headquartered in Tongxiang city, this company is quickly working toward being a leader in smart EV technology. Founded in 2014, Hozon Auto bought its new brand NETA to the market in 2018 and begin offering EV models under that brand. Last year, NETA sold 69,174 EVs in China, increasing sales by 360% compared to the previous year.

Skywell – Another Leader in the Chinese EV Sector

We finish with one of the leading Chinese EV companies, Skywell. Founded in 2011 with headquarters in Nanjing, Skywell was selected to build commercial vehicles for the Jiangsu province. The ET5 model is a Skywell branded vehicle, which is the first model that’s not a commercial vehicle. Skywell builds mostly large and medium-sized buses, light busts, logistics vehicles, and special purposed vehicles. Once the ET5 proves it can be a useful passenger vehicle, Skywell can branch out and create an entire EV line.