Cars, new brands boom: 33 emerging brands in Italia by 2030

It should also be remembered that globally, and especially in the Chinese industry, an inevitable selection of the species is looming. According to a recent report by AlixPartners, Chinese car manufacturers are preparing to triple their production capacity outside their home country to 3.4 million vehicles by 2030. This massive expansion aims to escape domestic market saturation and evade import tariffs, with Europe and Latin America identified as key regions.

The shift from the 'export-only' model to on-site production is a direct response to falling prices in China (down 20% in two years) and the European Union's introduction of punitive tariffs on imported electric vehicles. "The cost and speed of Chinese companies remain world-class. Western rivals must respond with a ruthless approach to the product attributes that customers really care about," reads the AlixPartners study.

The Chinese automotive is by now a mature market, where competition is fierce and, for this reason, prices are falling (-23% in two years on Bev vehicles), even though product levels are rising. Moreover, on the electric side, Nev's share has reached 50 per cent of the total, thanks to a consistent electrification strategy, which is why Beijing is gradually reducing state incentives for the purchase of green cars, after disbursing over 230 billion dollars in 15 years, moving instead towards market discipline.

This is what emerges from the Global Automotive Outlook update by AlixPartners, a global consultancy firm, according to which the country is now focusing on exports. "Exports from China exceed 7 million vehicles in 2025, +21%, plus about 1.2 million produced in other countries. They record higher profits than domestic ones: the Ebitda of the top 5 exporters was 60% higher than the average of all Chinese manufacturers in 2024. In this context, Chinese manufacturers plan to triple their production capacity abroad, reaching 3.4 million vehicles in 2030, of which 1.6 million in Europe," said Dario Duse, Emea Leader Automotive & Industrial and Italy Country Head of AlixPartners, emphasising that "the Chinese market is no longer growing in volume, it is involuting: in rapid sequence it is developing, maturing and commoditising technology mostly offered as an increase in content against decreasing prices". Looking ahead, the Chinese market is heading for a wave of consolidation: in 2025 there were 143 brands in the Chinese market, mostly small or super-small, but 'in the medium term there will not be room for all of them, especially as most volumes are catalysed by the largest manufacturers'.