A Nissan Sylphy on show in Guangdong in 2017. The Sylphy is China's best-selling sedan -- a ranking dominated by Nissan and other foreign brands. © AP

China's auto brands fail to shine in race with foreign rivals

Electric vehicles could shift consumer opinions as top leaders call for tech independence

KENJI KAWASE, Nikkei Asia chief business news correspondent

November 13, 2020 06:10 JST

HONG KONG -- China's domestic automakers have a loyalty problem.

While the country's monthly auto sales have recovered to pre-pandemic levels and recorded double-digit year-on-year growth in October, Chinese consumers' preference for foreign brands over local ones is growing. The bestselling sedan models for September were all made by foreign auto companies, including Toyota, Nissan and Honda from Japan, Germany's Volkswagen and General Motors of the U.S.