Brand map
Who is related to whom: the Chinese car groups, explained
In short
The more than 100 Chinese car brands belong, broadly, to a handful of groups. BYD and Geely are the largest private groups. Dongfeng, Changan and SAIC are state-owned. Chery and Great Wall are major exporters. Many new brands, such as Voyah, Avatr or Zeekr, are actually the “premium brands” of an older group. Geely also owns Volvo, and Huawei writes the software for a good share of them.
The groups and their brands
Yellow: brands we have in stock. Outline: brands we bring to order.
Private · Shenzhen
No. 1 in electrified carsBYD
BYDThe main brand, from budget to mainstream plus
DenzaPremium. Started with Mercedes-Benz in 2010
FangchengbaoOff-road SUVs
YangwangLuxury, up to over €100,000
Makes its own batteriesFactory in Hungary, ramping up (2026)
Private · Hangzhou
The most internationalGeely Holding
Geely AutoMainstream, the Galaxy range
ZeekrPremium electric
Lynk & CoMainstream plus, youth-oriented. Merged into Zeekr since 2025 (51% Zeekr, 49% Geely Auto)
Volvo CarsPremium, bought from Ford in 2010
PolestarPremium electric, spun off from Volvo
LotusSports cars, UK
smart, 50% with Mercedes-BenzProton, Malaysia
State-owned · Wuhan
Partners: Nissan, HondaDongfeng
VoyahPremium, large SUVs and MPVs
Dongfeng / NammiMainstream and budget
Joint ventures with Nissan and Honda in China
State-owned · Chongqing · China Changan group, since 2025
Partners: Ford, MazdaChangan
Huawei technology in Avatr
State-controlled · Wuhu
The biggest exporterChery
Chery, Omoda, JaecooBudget and mainstream, very present in Eastern Europe
ExeedMainstream plus
Jetour, iCarAdventure SUVs
LuxeedPremium, with Huawei
Joint venture with Jaguar Land Rover in China
State-owned · Shanghai
Partners: VW, GMSAIC
MGFormerly a British brand. In the first half of 2026, the best-selling Chinese brand in Europe, narrowly ahead of BYD
IM MotorsPremium electric
Roewe, WulingMainstream and budget, Wuling with GM
Joint ventures with Volkswagen and General Motors
Private · Baoding
SUV specialistGreat Wall
HavalMainstream SUVs
TankOff-road SUVs
WEY, OraMainstream plus and small electrics
Independents
Tech and EVsThe newcomers
Li Auto (LiXiang)Family EREV SUVs
XiaomiFrom phones to cars, since 2024
NIO, Onvo, FireflyPremium, mainstream and city cars, with battery swapping
XPengSoftware and assisted driving. Volkswagen is a shareholder
LeapmotorBudget electric. Stellantis owns about 20%
Links to well-known brands
The reason many Chinese cars “resemble” something European.
GeelyChina
owns
Volvo, Polestar, LotusSweden, UK
GeelyChina
50 / 50
smart, with Mercedes-BenzGermany
BYDChina
started with
Mercedes-Benz, for DenzaGermany, until 2024
StellantisPeugeot, Fiat, Opel
shareholder in
LeapmotorChina
VolkswagenGermany
shareholder in
XPengChina
HuaweiChina
software and electronics
Aito, Luxeed, Stelato, Maextro, Shangjie, AvatrChina
How the brands are positioned
From budget to luxury, with a European reference point for each level.
Luxury
like Porsche, Bentley
like Porsche, Bentley
YangwangHongqi (top of the range)Maextro
Premium
like BMW, Mercedes, Audi
like BMW, Mercedes, Audi
DenzaZeekrVoyahAvatrLi AutoAitoNIOIMLuxeed
Mainstream plus
like top-spec VW, Mazda
like top-spec VW, Mazda
Lynk & CoXiaomiXPengDeepalExeedTank
Mainstream
like Toyota, Kia, Skoda
like Toyota, Kia, Skoda
BYDGeelyHavalChanganMGOnvo
Budget
like Dacia
like Dacia
LeapmotorChery, Omoda, JaecooWulingFirefly
Some brands cover several levels. BYD, for example, has both budget city cars and large SUVs. The most representative level is listed here.
A car from each group
Real cars from our stock and offer, labeled with the group each brand belongs to. Prices are final in Moldova: shipping, customs and registration included.
BYD groupBYD Seal 052025 · new · Plug-in hybrid€14,490In stock
BYD groupDenza N72024 · 26,000 km · Electric · 4x4€28,990To order
Geely Holding groupGeely Galaxy Starship 72024 · 29,000 km · Plug-in hybrid€18,990In stock
Dongfeng groupVoyah Free2023 · 40,000 km · EREV · 4x4€27,190In stock
The newcomersLiXiang L62024 · 32,000 km · EREV · 4x4€32,990In stock
Changan groupAvatr 062025 · 6,000 km · EREV€24,990To order
Chery groupJetour G7002025 · 8,100 km · Plug-in hybrid · 4x4€47,290To order
JAC and Huawei (HIMA)Maextro S800 EV2025 · 43,000 km · Electric · 4x4€92,000To orderStock changes daily. As of October 5, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Are Zeekr and Volvo related?
Yes. Both belong to the Chinese Geely Holding group, which has owned Volvo Cars since 2010. Zeekr, Volvo, Polestar and Lynk & Co use jointly developed platforms and technologies.
Is Denza part of BYD?
Yes. Denza is the premium brand of BYD. It started in 2010 as a joint venture between BYD and Daimler (Mercedes-Benz), and since 2024 it has been wholly owned by BYD.
What does Huawei have to do with cars?
Huawei doesn't make cars, but it develops the software, driver-assistance system and electronics for several manufacturers. Through the HIMA alliance it works with Seres (the Aito brand), Chery (Luxeed), BAIC (Stelato), JAC (Maextro) and SAIC (Shangjie). Separately, it supplies technology for Avatr.
Update history
- 22.09.2026: fact check: MG vs. BYD in Europe, the new state-owned China Changan group, Lynk & Co merged into Zeekr, the BYD factory in Hungary.
Found the brand but not the model?
We bring in models to order from any of these groups. We tell you the final price in Moldova before you sign anything.