Great Wall
Based Baoding, Hebei
This company dates back to the mid-1970s and last year exported 55,000 cars, an increase of 60 per cent on 2009. Its main focus has been commercial vehicles, although more recently it has broadened its output to include passenger cars and four-wheel drives. Great Wall is particularly well established in Australia, where in 2009 it became the first Chinese manufacturer to release models, launching with 43 dealers. The company also sells in the EU.
Chery
Based Wuhu, Anhui
The leading Chinese brand in volume at home and abroad, Chery sold 120,000 units overseas last year and this year marked half a million vehicles sold abroad. According to the company, it has 1,000 dealers globally, and has sold vehicles in 80 countries. The company aims to sell 800,000 cars in total this year, after selling 682,000 last year. It is developing a variety of hybrid vehicles.
Geely
Based Hangzhou, Zhejiang
This company is known for its takeover last year of Volvo, an arrangement that appears to have worked better than many expected at the time. Geely and its brands, including Emgrand and Englon, have international ambitions, and along with Chery are blazing a trail in emerging markets. Last year, exports totalled 20,000 units, a figure the company wants to double this year.
BYD
Based Shenzhen, Guangdong
The company, part-owned by the American investor Warren Buffett, has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in electric-vehicle technology. Its export markets include Latin America, Africa and Bahrain. The company's e6 electric taxis are used in the southern Chinese boom town of Shenzhen and in Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic. The company hopes to export the e6 to the US next year.
* Daniel Bardsley
