Till a few years back, the idea of Chinese automakers leading the charge in automotive technology would have seemed like science fiction. Yet, today, the reality is strikingly different. Two Chinese electric vehicle (EV) companies, Nio and XPeng, have secured prominent positions in Gartner Digital Automaker Index 2024. The study claims to have evaluated 22 automakers across nine categories, analyzing a vast dataset of 13,919 data points.
The latest ranking of auto groups’ digital performance shows only three legacy carmakers — Ford, General Motors and BMW — in the top 10 while the rest are dominated by Nio, Xpeng and BYD from China and US start-ups including Tesla, Rivian and Lucid.
The Shanghai-based EV maker Nio and XPeng follow Tesla with 71.2 percent and 66.8 percent respectively, both improving from last year. Among the top ten, BYD, Rivian and XPeng reportedly saw the biggest increases.
General Motors registered the biggest drop (13.3 per cent) and the 9th place in the ranking. Volkswagen registered the sharpest decline and saw its score fall 18 per cent to 35.2 per cent. Toyota rests third from the bottom, down 7 percent from 2023.
While Tesla maintained its top spot, Nio and XPeng registered significant growth, outpacing many established global automakers
The latest ranking of auto groups’ digital performance shows only three legacy carmakers — Ford, General Motors and BMW — in the top 10 while the rest are dominated by Nio, Xpeng and BYD from China and US start-ups including Tesla, Rivian and Lucid.
The Shanghai-based EV maker Nio and XPeng follow Tesla with 71.2 percent and 66.8 percent respectively, both improving from last year. Among the top ten, BYD, Rivian and XPeng reportedly saw the biggest increases.
General Motors registered the biggest drop (13.3 per cent) and the 9th place in the ranking. Volkswagen registered the sharpest decline and saw its score fall 18 per cent to 35.2 per cent. Toyota rests third from the bottom, down 7 percent from 2023.
While Tesla maintained its top spot, Nio and XPeng registered significant growth, outpacing many established global automakers
| Rank | Automaker | Overall Score (2024) | Improvement vs 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tesla | 76.9% | -4% |
| 2 | Nio | 71.2% | +2% |
| 3 | XPeng | 66.8% | +13% |
| 4 | Rivian | 55.0% | +13% |
| 5 | Lucid | 51.3% | +9% |
| 6 | Geely | 47.2% | +10% |
| 7 | BYD | 42.2% | +18% |
| 8 | Ford | 40.0% | -4% |
| 9 | GM | 39.9% | -13% |
| 10 | BMW | 39.5% | +4% |
| 11 | Mercedes | 38.8% | +1% |
| 12 | Renault | 36.2% | – |
| 13 | VW | 35.2% | -18% |
| 14 | Changan | 35.1% | – |
| 15 | Hyundai Kia | 34.3% | +16% |
| 16 | Honda | 32.7% | +12% |
| 17 | Stellantis | 32.2% | +9% |
| 18 | SAIC | 29.7% | +4% |
| 19 | Nissan | 26.9% | – |
| 20 | Toyota | 26.8% | -7% |
| 21 | Mazda | 26.5% | +6% |
| 22 | JLR (Tata Motors) | 24.8% | 0% |
Source: Gartner Digital Automaker Index 2024
US ahead, but China catching up fast
In terms of geography, China’s EV revolution is evident in the rapid rise of Nio and XPeng. Both companies have made substantial strides in areas such as connectivity, software, and overall digital capabilities.
The Gartner index illustrated that US automakers are still ahead of Chinese automakers in the race for software supremacy. However, the margin between the two countries is decreasing fast. China is catching up — and very fast.
As per rankings, Europe is a distant third with South Korea right behind. Japan’s performance, meanwhile, has gone down.