Zhong Guo Qi Che Bao Wang·2026-01-14 03:32Core Insights - The automotive industry in China is transitioning from a growth phase to a period of stock competition and structural clearing, making it increasingly difficult to sell cars [1] - Leading companies like BYD and Geely are thriving through price competition and extensive product offerings, while many joint venture fuel vehicle companies and marginal new players are struggling to meet sales targets [1] Group 1: Profitability Challenges - The intensification of stock competition has led to a price war, compressing profit margins across the industry, with the profit margin for the automotive sector at 4.4% from January to November 2025, significantly lower than the 6% average for downstream industrial enterprises [2] - Capacity utilization rates in the automotive manufacturing sector have been declining, with figures of 74.7%, 72.7%, 74.6%, and 72.2% from 2021 to 2024, and only reaching 73.3% in Q3 2025, still below the healthy threshold of 75% [2] - Many leading joint venture companies have capacity utilization rates between 40% and 60%, with some factories operating at as low as 16.2% in 2025, while marginal companies have utilization rates below 10% [2] Group 2: Transformation and Innovation - Companies need to shift from low-price competition to building core competencies through technology, resources, and market strategies, with technological innovation being crucial to overcoming homogenization [3] - The market has seen a significant shift, with new energy vehicles surpassing 50% market share, accounting for 53.6% of domestic sales from January to November 2025, indicating a change in consumer perception of traditional fuel vehicles [3] - BYD achieved sales of 4.6024 million units in 2025, surpassing Tesla in pure electric vehicle sales, demonstrating the effectiveness of technology-driven strategies [3] Group 3: Globalization and Market Dynamics - The automotive industry is moving towards a globalized 2.0 model, where companies need to focus on capacity and supply chain collaboration to expand overseas, as traditional vehicle exports are no longer sufficient [4] - BYD's overseas sales exceeded 1 million units in 2025, and Chery exported 1.344 million units, highlighting the importance of international markets as a growth source in the stock era [4] - The deepening stock competition is expected to lead to a fundamental restructuring of the automotive market, with a concentration of market players and a shift from price competition to value competition, focusing on product quality, intelligence, and service experience [4] Group 4: Industry Outlook - The sales performance in 2025 reflects not only market competition but also signals the need for industry transformation, emphasizing the importance of focusing on technological innovation, resource integration, and global expansion to navigate industry cycles [5]