Major foreign carmakers set to stage a comeback in China this year: analysts
Foreign carmakers ‘will fight back because they will have the same products’ as their Chinese rivals, consultancy head Denis Depoux says
But in 2026, foreign carmakers are expected to stage a comeback when they launch models with innovative technologies, which are expected to attract buyers in spite of sluggish consumer demand, according to industry officials and analysts.
“Finally, foreign OEMs [original equipment manufacturers] will fight back because they will have the same products,” said Denis Depoux, global managing director at consultancy Roland Berger. “I think this comeback will take place this year.”
Competition in China would not remain a “one-way traffic” because international marques have learned from their mainland counterparts, particularly the assemblers of pure electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, on which features most appealed to local consumers, according to Depoux.
International marques, via their mainland joint ventures, delivered 7.44 million vehicles to customers in the first 11 months of 2025, data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) showed.