Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
Ecuador’s auto market reached a historic milestone in July 2025: for the first time, cars assembled in Chinese factories accounted for 52% of total sales. Out of 11,585 vehicles sold, 6,003 units came from China, data from the Ecuadorian Automotive Industry Chamber (Cinae) revealed.
The figure underscores the rapid transformation of Ecuador’s automotive sector. In 2017, when import quotas were lifted, Chinese vehicles represented only 8.5% of the market, while locally assembled cars held 40%. By 2020, Chinese-made vehicles had already doubled their share to 26%, and the trajectory has continued upwards ever since.
For the first half of 2025 alone, 31,262 Chinese-assembled cars were sold in Ecuador, an 11% increase compared to the same period in 2024, while overall market growth was just 1.3%.
Economists highlight several drivers behind this expansion. China’s integrated production system, which keeps costs low by manufacturing most components domestically, allows Chinese brands to offer highly competitive prices. The Ecuador-China trade agreement, which entered into force in May 2024, has further boosted imports by reducing tariffs on vehicles.
Brands such as Chery, Great Wall, and JAC now lead the Ecuadorian market, with Chery taking the top spot in units sold. Meanwhile, long-standing best-sellers like the Chevrolet D-Max are no longer produced locally after General Motors closed its Ecuador plant in 2024; the model is now imported from China with upgraded features. Similarly, the Kia Soluto, also assembled in China, has become one of the most demanded sedans in the country.
Local assembly plants, however, face mounting challenges. The director of Cinae has warned that the share of Ecuador-assembled vehicles could drop below 10% following GM’s closure. Some factories are making efforts to recover: Ciauto in Ambato (producing Great Wall and Shineray) increased its output by 60%, while Aymesa in Quito (assembling Kia and Hyundai) expanded production by 18%.
The rise of Chinese-assembled cars not only reshapes Ecuador’s auto industry but also highlights Beijing’s growing role in Latin America’s consumer markets. Analysts suggest this dominance may expand further in the coming years, particularly in the electric vehicle segment, where Chinese automakers are already global leaders.
* Original text in Spanish. Translated by Large Language Model (LLM) technology.
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