CARMA, the leading technology and consulting company, has released the second part of its ‘Driving Change Series’ study, which presents an analysis surrounding the Automotive industry, hyper focusing on the incoming Chinese brands in the APAC region and beyond. 

Findings show that Chinese automotive brands are gaining media confidence globally, with limited outright scepticism. Through a variety of online articles, media in the Philippines, Malaysia and the UAE showcased the highest levels of confidence in Chinese automotive brands (over 60% confident in each of those markets).



The analysis found that positive media coverage of Chinese brands aligned with what really matters to consumers with regards to purchasing decisions. The first part of this series, which focused on consumer research, found that price, reliability and technology were key factors for those considering purchasing a new vehicle.

Chinese brands were characterised by low levels of criticism and high proportions of positive coverage on pricing, technology and reliability.



In addition, Chinese automotive brands – especially BYD – are increasingly seen as industry innovators. The brand garnered more than double the volume of coverage where brands are positioned as innovative (1,189 articles) compared to other Chinese brands such as Geely (402) and Xpeng (298), as well as established brands including BMW and Volkswagen (284 and 251 respectively).

BYD was also found to have contributed 41% of all positive coverage on Chinese brands, and had a higher proportion of positive coverage compared to other Chinese brands and established brands.



Part 2 of the series, titled ‘Media Perception’ presents an analysis of 12,000 media articles from 1 January 2024 to 31 January 2025. Online articles from 15 markets were analysed. These articles featured over 25 Chinese brands and over 30 established brands.

Technology and innovation were found to be key themes that media outlets covered with their articles – 60% of media coverage highlighted Chinese brands’ use of innovative technology.

Articles also focused on the rapidly evolving automotive industry highlighting trends such as tariff impacts, technology collaboration, the rise of Software Defined Vehicles (SDVs), and the role of social media platforms such as YouTube and TikTok in influencing car buyers.

“The automotive industry is experiencing significant transformation driven by geopolitical pressures, evolving consumer demands and rapid technological advancements. Our media analysis reveals that Chinese brands, with BYD as the leader, received positive coverage for their pricing, technology and reliability. This greatly aligns with consumer preferences in a competitive landscape,” comments Sabrina Azmi, Research Solutions Director, CARMA.

She continues, “Established brands are quickly adapting by forming technology partnerships and shifting their focus to consumer tech events to maintain their relevance.”

On a global scale, 58% of coverage reported that Chinese brands were leveraging innovative technology, while established brands had a lower rate of 49%. BYD dominated the technology and innovation coverage by a significant margin.

BMW was also a standout with 41% of its coverage focused on innovation. Hong Kong-based lifestyle outlets contributed to this positioning, with titles like Hypebeast HK reviewing several of its models. Additionally, BMW’s emphasis on innovation at CES 2025 helped to strengthen its innovation positioning. 



Globally, journalists are confident towards the future of Chinese brands, with only limited outright scepticism such as Singaporean outlets showing higher scepticism.

Part 3 of the Driving Change series will focus on a case study on BYD.

Stay tuned as we continue to explore the transformative rise of Chinese automotive brands on the world stage.



About CARMA:

Expertly helping PR and communications professionals demonstrate the value of their work, CARMA collaborates with both global brands and local organisations across a diverse range of industries. CARMA equips PR and communications professionals with the data, insights, and context needed to make better-informed business decisions.

Our technology provides the most comprehensive monitoring of print, broadcast, online and social media in every continent, across 130+ content partners and 100+ languages.
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