In the greatest car market in the world, China’s demand for electric vehicles has given domestic automakers a clear and unbeatable lead over their global rivals.

According to a study by the China Center for Automotive Technology and Research, Chinese businesses, including BYD Co. and Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd., took home more than 50% of the market’s total car sales for the first time in July.

Only BYD controls 11% of the Chinese auto market. The business’s quick expansion has been facilitated by its strategy of offering a broad selection of electric vehicles at costs ranging from the entry-level Seagull and Dolphin to the most expensive models on the market. In China now, eleven of the top 20 most popular brands are produced locally.

Legacy German, American, and Japanese automakers, including Ford Motor Co., Toyota Motor Corp., and Volkswagen AG, are suffering as a result of this growth. As more affordable Chinese electric vehicles become available, analysts at UBS AG warned earlier this month that Western manufacturers will lose a fifth of their global market share.

American brands’ market shares, including those of Tesla Inc., Buick, Ford, and Chevrolet, dropped to their lowest points since the data’s publication in 2008. The situation would be far worse without electric vehicle pioneer Tesla, which launched its Shanghai plant in 2019.