On August 3, The Cover News officially launched the “Good Brands on Cover” 2026 Super Brand Festival, initiating a nationwide call for outstanding brands. Leveraging the power of intelligent media to tell the stories of Chinese brands and using data to measure brand heat, the 2026 Super Brand Festival · Cover Automotive Industry Brand Heat Map was officially released as the first industry profile of the Super Brand Festival.
Based on Cover Technology’s “CALL Strategy” and full-domain data capabilities, the brand heat map provides a “panoramic scan” of the automotive industry in 2026 from multiple dimensions, including brand heat, national momentum, user attention, and market visibility. It is more than a compilation of data; it is the first industry response to the Super Brand Festival’s concept of “using data to measure brand heat.” Going forward, heat maps for more industries will be updated successively.
New Energy Reshapes the Landscape, with Chinese Independent Brands Taking the Lead
The heat map clearly reveals a trend: in the 2026 automotive industry, new energy vehicles are no longer a “segment,” but the direction indicator for the entire market.
In terms of overall brand heat, Chinese independent brands such as BYD, Changan, and Geely remain firmly among the leading players. This performance is corroborated by recent international rankings. In Brand Finance’s 2026 Global 100 Most Valuable Automotive Brands, 24 Chinese brands made the list, with BYD ranking 11th globally, reaching a historic high for a Chinese brand. In the China’s 500 Most Valuable Brands report released by World Brand Lab, Geely’s brand value increased by 25.67% year on year, while Chery rose 51 places significantly. Seres, NIO, XPeng, and other brands also improved their rankings.
The data on the heat map closely aligns with these trends: the “heat” of Chinese independent brands is no longer dependent on individual blockbuster models, but comes from the combined accumulation of technological capabilities, product portfolios, and user reputation.
Regional Momentum Reshaped: Guangdong Leads, while Sichuan Becomes an Important Growth Pole in Western China
China’s passenger vehicle heat map shows Guangdong leading the country by a clear margin, followed by Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shandong, and Sichuan. Sichuan is particularly noteworthy—as the only western province to rank among the top five, Chengdu is becoming a key example of the reshaping of regional momentum in the automotive industry.
The heat map also captures another signal: the growth of new energy vehicle consumption in second-tier and lower-tier cities has accelerated significantly, while “range anxiety” is being continuously eased by policy subsidies and improvements in charging infrastructure. Chengdu’s vehicle purchase subsidies, together with the rise of vehicle-use scenarios such as off-road driving in western Sichuan and “outdoor camping with vehicle-to-load power supply,” are helping new energy vehicles evolve from a “means of transportation” into a “lifestyle carrier.”
Evolution of Technology Buzzwords: From “Three Major Components” to “800V + Advanced Intelligent Driving”
In the past, consumers looked at the “three major components” when buying a car. Today, in the full-network trending keyword cloud, “800V high-voltage platform,” “full-domain 800V,” “advanced intelligent driving,” “urban NOA,” and “AI large-model cockpit” have become high-frequency terms. Brands such as ZEEKR, Xiaomi, and Luxeed have attracted significant attention through technological breakthroughs in high-voltage fast charging.
Behind these data is a clear signal: the competitive dimensions of automotive brands have shifted from “powertrains” to “intelligent experiences.” Brands that can translate technical language into product experiences that users can perceive will be able to occupy a higher position in terms of market visibility on the heat map.
From One Heat Map, Seeing the “Next Chapter” of Chinese Brands
The release of the 2026 Super Brand Festival · Cover Automotive Industry Brand Heat Map marks the first industry profile of the “Good Brands on Cover” 2026 Super Brand Festival.
As the 2026 Super Brand Festival puts it: “At present, Chinese brands are undergoing a quiet transformation, giving ‘building a strong brand nation’ a concrete foundation. How can more good brands be seen?” — This heat map is the first answer provided by Cover News: using data to measure brand heat.
(Source: The Cover News | Reporters: Qin Lang, Fu Jianyu, Huang Mingjun)
