Legacy global automakers falter in ambition despite momentum in the EV transition

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WASHINGTON, June 16, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Legacy automakers across the United States, Japan, and Europe risk falling further behind new market leaders, finds the fourth annual Global Automaker Rating, published today by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT).

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Global electric vehicle (EV) sales reached one in four new vehicles sold globally in 2025 — up from one in five in 2024. Yet even as almost all car manufacturers increased their EV sales share year-over-year, the ratings also revealed a deepening divide between automakers doubling down on electrification and those hedging their bets amid short-term market and policy shifts.

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As the only all-electric automakers in the rating, Tesla and BYD, once again came out ahead. The margin is shrinking between the two, however, as BYD surpassed Tesla’s global battery-electric vehicle sales for the second year in a row.

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Several Chinese companies were also among the top performers for the second year in a row, recording EV sales share increases of 5 to 10 percentage points. SAIC and Geely each reached a sales share of at least 50% or above, followed closely by ChangAn. However, Chinese automakers saw plug-in hybrid electric vehicles as the majority of their EV sales, while most other manufacturers sold a larger proportion of battery-electric vehicles.

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In contrast, Stellantis, Honda, and GM recorded sharp rating declines in 2025, driven primarily by downward revisions to their 2030 EV sales targets. A continuing trend among global legacy automakers — particularly those based in the U.S. and Japan — shows a pivot towards plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and flexible platforms while also arguing for more flexibilities and relaxed timelines in regulation.

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On the other side of the transition, market leaders from China, including Geely and SAIC, have broken from this trend and outperformed their own electrification targets a full year ahead of schedule. Great Wall is the exception amongst China-based automakers as the only company to fall from “transitioner” to “laggard” this year after a sharp pivot to plug-in hybrids.

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“The rating shows a growing gap between the frontrunners who are expanding their global EV offerings to reach new markets and those still wavering on their electric commitments,” said Irem Kok, senior researcher at the ICCT and co-author of the report. “The window for some legacy automakers to catch up is narrowing, particularly as their long-term investments for electrification are shrinking.”

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Expansion in class coverage assisted Hyundai-Kia in rising from the “laggard” to “transitioner” status, the only automaker to move into a higher category this year. Stellantis entered the top 5 in the same metric, which was previously occupied entirely by Chinese manufacturers.

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“We see from the data that most U.S.- and Japan-based automakers continued to offer electric models in fewer than a third of the vehicle segments analyzed,” said Rachel Muncrief, Acting Executive Director and CEO of the ICCT. “Legacy automakers risk ceding their leadership in major markets where they historically dominate if they fail to adapt.”