Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai and Kia are the world's most global brands
We explain which companies are the least dependent on their home market and which are the most exposed to China.
The usual annual check on the availability and global presence of car brands reveals some interesting trends. The right distribution of sales in different regions of the world can make the difference when geopolitical tensions arise between two nations.
Some brands focus their efforts on a few regions or markets, while others base their existence on global exposure and awareness. Which automotive companies are least dependent on their home market? Which are most exposed to China? And which brands are little-known in the fastest-growing economies?
Everyone knows Toyota
If there's one carmaker that's known the world over and present in almost every country, it's Toyota. Despite growing competition from Tesla and Chinese car brands, Toyota remains the world number one and the car brand of choice in many countries around the world.
A look at the breakdown of global sales shows that the company is spreading its activities well. For example, its biggest market is not Japan, its home market, but the United States and Canada, which will account for almost 23% of its total sales in 2023. In fact, Japan was the third largest market, with 17% of the total.
The most ‘global’ brands in the world. Sales distribution 2023
This total contrasts with the 33% representing Europe for the Volkswagen brand or the 56% and 58% representing the United States for Ford and Chevrolet, respectively. In fact, Toyota's five most important regions will account for 83% of its global sales in 2023.
The Toyota brand's market share is quite good in 8 of the 10 regions considered as it ranges from 6.3% in Europe to 26.5% in South-East Asia-Pacific. The only two exceptions are Eurasia (Toyota had to abandon Russia) with 1.6% and the South Asia region (India, Pakistan), where the brand has yet to take off following the cooperation agreement with Suzuki.
Nissan and the Koreans also diversify
The Japanese brand Nissan also has a fairly balanced distribution of sales across the regions of the world (it has a strong presence in North America, South-East Asia, the Middle East, China and Japan). The Korean brands Hyundai and Kia have globalised even faster than the Japanese brands.
The United States and Canada were their biggest markets in 2023, but accounted for just 23% of global volumes. South Asia (16%), Korea (16%) and Europe (15%) were close behind. Kia has a similar breakdown, although it is more dependent on the United States (29%), Korea (19%) and Europe (20%).
Breakdown of sales in 2023
| *Chinese brands are excluded | USA-Canada | Latin America | Europe | Africa | Middle East |
| Ford | 56% | 4% | 25% | 1% | 1% |
| Chevrolet | 58% | 19% | 0% | 0% | 2% |
| Suzuki | 0% | 3% | 7% | 3% | 2% |
| Genesis | 35% | 0% | 2% | 0% | 3% |
| Renault | 0% | 18% | 73% | 4% | 1% |
| Fiat | 0% | 42% | 53% | 5% | 0% |
| Peugeot | 0% | 11% | 80% | 2% | 2% |
| Skoda | 0% | 0% | 86% | 1% | 2% |
| Citroen | 0% | 9% | 81% | 2% | 1% |
| Opel/Vauxhall | 0% | 1% | 97% | 2% | 0% |
| Dacia | 0% | 1% | 93% | 6% | 0% |
| MINI | 13% | 3% | 64% | 1% | 0% |
| Seat | 0% | 6% | 90% | 2% | 2% |
| Cupra | 0% | 3% | 94% | 0% | 1% |
| Subaru | 75% | 2% | 3% | 0% | 1% |
| Tata | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Mahindra | 0% | 0% | 0% | 2% | 0% |
| KG Mobility | 0% | 4% | 25% | 0% | 0% |
| GMC | 96% | 1% | 0% | 0% | 3% |
| RAM | 88% | 9% | 1% | 0% | 1% |
| Dodge | 89% | 9% | 0% | 0% | 1% |
| Chrysler | 99% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 1% |
| Lancia | 0% | 0% | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| Abarth | 0% | 23% | 60% | 0% | 2% |
| Alpine | 0% | 0% | 94% | 0% | 0% |
| Acura | 99% | 1% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Infiniti | 84% | 2% | 0% | 0% | 4% |
| Alfa Romeo | 17% | 1% | 75% | 2% | 1% |
| DS | 0% | 2% | 93% | 1% | 0% |
| *Chinese brands are excluded | Eurasia | South Asia | China | SEA-Pacific | Japan-Korea |
| Ford | 0% | 0% | 6% | 6% | 0% |
| Chevrolet | 15% | 0% | 5% | 0% | 1% |
| Suzuki | 0% | 59% | 0% | 5% | 21% |
| Genesis | 0% | 0% | 1% | 1% | 59% |
| Renault | 0% | 3% | 0% | 1% | 0% |
| Fiat | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Peugeot | 0% | 0% | 3% | 1% | 1% |
| Skoda | 0% | 6% | 4% | 1% | 0% |
| Citroen | 0% | 1% | 5% | 0% | 1% |
| Opel/Vauxhall | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Dacia | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| MINI | 0% | 0% | 7% | 3% | 9% |
| Seat | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Cupra | 0% | 0% | 0% | 2% | 0% |
| Subaru | 0% | 0% | 1% | 6% | 12% |
| Tata | 0% | 99% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Mahindra | 0% | 98% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| KG Mobility | 0% | 0% | 0% | 7% | 63% |
| GMC | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| RAM | 0% | 0% | 0% | 1% | 0% |
| Dodge | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Chrysler | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Lancia | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Abarth | 0% | 0% | 0% | 3% | 11% |
| Alpine | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 6% |
| Acura | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Infiniti | 1% | 0% | 9% | 0% | 0% |
| Alfa Romeo | 0% | 0% | 1% | 1% | 2% |
| DS | 0% | 0% | 1% | 0% | 2% |
Brands most exposed to China
In a world of growing tensions with China, it is crucial to identify the brands most exposed to this market. Volkswagen, for example, is the most exposed of the major brands, with 44% of its global sales in 2023 recorded in China. Any potential conflict between China and the West would put it in a very difficult position. The strong exposure to China contrasts with its timid role in the Middle East, Eurasia, India, South East Asia, Korea and Japan.
The most China-dependent brands. Sales distribution 2023 (excluding Chinese brands)
The other major contributors in China are Cadillac (51% of its sales volume in 2023), Buick (74%), Smart (58%), Lincoln (42%) and Lotus (52%). German premiums are also very exposed to China: 33% for Mercedes, 37% for BMW and 38% for Audi. China's share of Tesla sales was 35% in 2023.
First half of 2024:
The least global
Apart from the Chinese car brands, which are just beginning to develop on a global scale, the American, French and Italian brands are the least global. For example, 82% of Ford's worldwide sales in 2023 will be in just two markets: the United States/Canada and Europe. Chevrolet sold 58% of its global volume in the United States and Canada. GMC, Ram, Dodge and Chrysler are even more dependent on Canada.
Europe accounts for over 80% of sales for Peugeot, Skoda and Citroën, and over 90% for Opel/Vauxhall, Dacia, Seat and Cupra. Among the medium-sized European brands, Fiat is the least dependent on Europe (53% of its volume in 2023). However, almost all of its sales come from Latin America, while regions such as the Middle East, Eurasia, South Asia, China, South-East Asia-Pacific, Japan, Korea and the United States/Canada each account for less than 0.5% of its sales.
The author of the article, Felipe Munoz, is a specialist in the automotive industry at JATO Dynamics.
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