In the first few decades of automotive history, the motor car was arguably the most visible, most visceral expression of national character a country could export. A car conferred more soft power on its country of origin than any other consumer product.
In the early 20th century, the ability to mass-produce cars was shorthand for national modernity and industrial prowess. Henry Ford’s assembly line didn’t just democratize transportation — it announced America’s arrival as an economic superpower. When Model Ts rolled off production lines in Detroit, they carried with them a narrative of American ingenuity, efficiency, and the promise of mobility for the masses. Chevrolet, Cadillac, and Chrysler reinforced this message. To drive an American car was to participate in the American century.
As the industry matured, soft power shifted from the mere capacity to build cars to the ability to build exceptional ones. German manufacturers transformed automotive engineering into a form of national expression. Mercedes-Benz didn’t just make reliable vehicles; it made vehicles that embodied precision, quality, and meticulous attention to detail — qualities that became synonymous with German manufacturing. BMW promised driving pleasure engineered to exacting standards. Even the advertising was instructive: Audi’s “Vorsprung durch Technik” tagline worked because it tapped into established perceptions.
Italy contributed its own narrative through Ferrari and Lamborghini — cars that weren’t merely fast but beautiful — transforming automotive design into an art form.
More recently, Japan and South Korea have demonstrated that relative newcomers can still leverage automobiles for soft power. Toyota and Honda overcame initial skepticism about Japanese quality to become global standards for reliability, before Lexus and Acura showed the country could create genuine luxury, too. Hyundai and Kia followed a similar trajectory, moving from budget alternatives to credible competitors. These brands didn’t just succeed commercially — they reshaped perceptions of their countries’ capabilities, showcasing prowess in both mass production and quality engineering.
Going by these historical patterns, China should be harvesting enormous soft power from the success of BYDBYDBYD Auto is a Chinese carmaker that became the world’s leading EV manufacturer in 2023, competing with Tesla for market share and global attention.READ MORE.
Early this year, BYD overtook Tesla to become the world’s leading manufacturer of electric vehicles. Its cars now populate streets from Bangkok to São Paulo. Their popularity isn’t confined to the global south: In September, BYD sold 11,271 vehicles in the U.K. — an astonishing 880% surge over the previous year, making the country its largest market outside China. These are the numbers of a genuine automotive giant.
This commercial achievement has yet to translate into soft power for China.
BYD’s vehicles may be everywhere, but the brand lacks Tesla’s cultural cachet — even though Elon Musk’s political adventures have been eroding it. The overall impression is that people buy BYD because it offers compelling value, not because the brand is cool and aspirational.
Can BYD eventually attain that status? Will it do for China what Ford did for the U.S., Mercedes for Germany, and Ferrari for Italy?
Color me skeptical, and for several reasons.
Start with the most fundamental: the ability to manufacture automobiles is no longer a rare or impressive feat. In Henry Ford’s day, mass-producing cars signaled membership to an elite club of industrialized nations. Today, that club includes dozens of countries across multiple continents. Turkey makes cars. India makes cars. Morocco makes cars. The achievement that once conferred prestige has become commonplace. Simply building vehicles — even building them well and building them cheaply — carries little reputational advantage.
Electrification does not provide the differentiating factor it might have a decade ago. As EVs have moved from novelty to ubiquity, they’ve shed their mystique. They’re becoming just cars — with different power trains, yes, but cars nonetheless. The technology has been demystified. BYD has demonstrated genuine innovation in battery technology, particularly with its Blade batteries, which deserve recognition. But battery chemistry, however sophisticated, doesn’t capture imaginations the way a beautifully designed vehicle would.
Then there’s the problem of being untested in the automobile’s ultimate proving ground: BYD is effectively barred from the American market by Trump’s 100% tariffs. This matters far beyond the lost sales volume. America has historically served as the crucible for automotive brands. Japanese manufacturers earned their reputations by competing directly with Ford and Chevrolet in Detroit’s backyard.
Honda and Toyota proved they could satisfy America’s demanding consumers; that validation conferred global legitimacy. Korean brands followed the same path. Success in America signals that a brand can succeed anywhere. BYD has no access to this test. While it can point to impressive sales from Mexico City to Munich, it cannot claim validation in the market that still defines automotive prestige. There’s very little the company can do to change this situation, but the absence creates a permanent asterisk next to its achievements.
Perhaps most importantly, BYD carries the considerable baggage of China’s negative reputation. This manifests in two distinct ways. First, there’s the quality perception. Despite China’s evolution into a sophisticated manufacturing hub, “Made in China” still suggests affordability rather than excellence. The 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer found that global trust in Chinese brands stands at just 30%, down from 33% a decade earlier. Compare that with 62% for German brands or 64% for Canadian ones.
Consumer reviews of BYD vehicles are mixed: praise for features and price, criticism for quality issues and service. The slow app upgrade in January — which left thousands of Chinese drivers stranded during the morning rush hour — didn’t help. The company announced the recall of 115,000 cars last month, citing design and battery-safety issues.
Second, there are the political associations. Germany and Japan built automotive soft power without negative national reputations weighing them down. When Japanese cars arrived in America in the 1970s, consumers didn’t associate Japan with aggressive territorial expansion or geopolitical menace. China faces a fundamentally different environment. Concerns about human rights in Xinjiang, the crackdown in Hong Kong, and bellicose diplomatic posturing create powerful headwinds that BYD must navigate. Fair or not, these associations affect consumer perceptions.
Other Chinese brands demonstrate the challenge. Huawei dominates telecommunications. Lenovo controls the PC market, after purchasing IBM’s share. Alibaba and Tencent are technology giants. TikTok has captured a generation of users. Yet with the possible exception of TikTok among teenagers, none of these brands have achieved aspirational status. They’re ubiquitous without being cool. Notably, TikTok systematically underplays its Chinese origins — a telling strategy that suggests even its creators understand the reputational challenge.
Clearly, product success alone cannot generate soft power for China. Japanese and Korean automakers overcame initial quality skepticism through decades of consistent excellence, transforming perceptions in the process. But they operated in a more favorable environment, without the political complications that shadow Chinese brands today. The trust deficit isn’t primarily about product quality — it’s about the country behind the product.
BYD has genuine technological achievements and formidable scale. With revenue surpassing $107 billion in 2024, it has demonstrated impressive capabilities. But achievement doesn’t automatically confer soft power. That requires making people want what you represent, not merely what you sell. It requires brands people aspire to own, not just ones they can afford to buy. It requires proving excellence in markets that matter most. And it requires that the country behind the brand doesn’t repel the consumers it hopes to attract.
The road from commercial success to cultural influence runs longer than sales charts suggest. BYD is driving fast. But until it transforms from a practical choice to a desirable one, from affordable to aspirational, from successful to admired, its impressive figures won’t translate into the soft power that shapes global perceptions of China.
