The WBA automotive ranking presents a ranking of 25 keystone auto manufacturers based on an overall assessment comprising three parts: a performance assessment, a narrative assessment, and a trend assessment. The overall assessment measures a company’s degree of alignment with the transition to a low-carbon economy.

The performance assessment is composed of nine modules, each containing performance indicators, which reflect the Assessing low Carbon Transition® (ACT) framework.

This framework proposes indicators used to develop sector-specific methodologies. The modules can have past, present or future orientation, and cover a company’s targets, material investment, intangible investment, sold product performance, management, supplier engagement, client engagement, policy engagement and business model shift. The ACT auto sector methodology has been translated by the WBA to create this ranking.

The performance of the 25 companies varied widely across the modules and indicators. It was observed that some companies with a strong performance overall are performing well against certain indicators, and yet are performing poorly against others. For example, the ranking leader, Groupe PSA, performs well across many of the modules, but performs less well than many companies against the low-carbon vehicle share indicator.

Companies performed best in the material investment and sold product performance modules. Many of the companies were able to demonstrate that they had reduced both manufacturing and fleet – vehicle “in-use” – emissions. This may be due to regulatory pressure in these areas. However, the overall performance of the keystone auto manufacturers assessed for this ranking is compromised by generally poor performance in modules relating to target setting, management of the low-carbon transition and business model alternatives to passenger vehicles that reflect readiness for the low-carbon transition.

Across the sample, no companies achieved the optimum score of “A” for the narrative assessment, which would demonstrate a company with a consistent and credible low-carbon transition aligned business plan and strategy, with no reputational concerns and minimal risk to the company’s ability to transition. The majority of the companies ranked “C” or “D”, with a few performing particularly poorly with the lowest available score of “E”.

The trend assessment saw the majority of companies receiving either an “=” trend (12 companies) or a “-” trend (10 companies) with only three companies showing a “+” trend. This reflects the fact that the majority of the companies are either anticipated to remain consistent in their current performance, or to worsen in their future performance, based on indicators such as continued internal combustion engine vehicle sales and a lack of preparedness for the low-carbon transition.

Ranking overview

1 Groupe PSA
Total score 13.3 /20
Narrative score B
Trend score
  • Trend line is up
  • Trend line is equal
  • Trend line is down
2 BMW AG
Total score 13.0 /20
Narrative score B
Trend score
  • Trend line is up
  • Trend line is equal
  • Trend line is down
3 Renault
Total score 13.2 /20
Narrative score C
Trend score
  • Trend line is up
  • Trend line is equal
  • Trend line is down
4 Volkswagen AG
Total score 12.1 /20
Narrative score C
Trend score
  • Trend line is up
  • Trend line is equal
  • Trend line is down
5 Daimler AG
Total score 11.5 /20
Narrative score C
Trend score
  • Trend line is up
  • Trend line is equal
  • Trend line is down
- Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
Total score 11.5 /20
Narrative score C
Trend score
  • Trend line is up
  • Trend line is equal
  • Trend line is down
7 Mazda Motor Corporation
Total score 10.6 /20
Narrative score C
Trend score
  • Trend line is up
  • Trend line is equal
  • Trend line is down
8 Toyota Motor Corporation
Total score 10.4 /20
Narrative score C
Trend score
  • Trend line is up
  • Trend line is equal
  • Trend line is down
9 Ford Motor Company
Total score 11.3 /20
Narrative score C
Trend score
  • Trend line is up
  • Trend line is equal
  • Trend line is down
10 Honda Motor Company
Total score 10.2 /20
Narrative score C
Trend score
  • Trend line is up
  • Trend line is equal
  • Trend line is down
11 General Motors Company
Total score 9.8 /20
Narrative score C
Trend score
  • Trend line is up
  • Trend line is equal
  • Trend line is down
12 Tesla Motors, Inc.
Total score 11.3 /20
Narrative score D
Trend score
  • Trend line is up
  • Trend line is equal
  • Trend line is down
13 BAIC Motor Corporation Ltd (北京汽车股份有限公司)
Total score 9.8 /20
Narrative score D
Trend score
  • Trend line is up
  • Trend line is equal
  • Trend line is down
14 Chongqing Changan Automobile Company Ltd. (重庆长安汽车股份有限公司|长安汽车 )
Total score 7.8 /20
Narrative score D
Trend score
  • Trend line is up
  • Trend line is equal
  • Trend line is down
15 Geely Automobile Holdings Limited (吉利汽车控股有限公司)
Total score 7.6 /20
Narrative score D
Trend score
  • Trend line is up
  • Trend line is equal
  • Trend line is down
16 Tata Motors
Total score 8.2 /20
Narrative score D
Trend score
  • Trend line is up
  • Trend line is equal
  • Trend line is down
17 FAW Car Company Limited (一汽轿车股份有限公司)
Total score 7.0 /20
Narrative score D
Trend score
  • Trend line is up
  • Trend line is equal
  • Trend line is down
18 Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV
Total score 7.5 /20
Narrative score D
Trend score
  • Trend line is up
  • Trend line is equal
  • Trend line is down
19 Mitsubishi Motors Corporation
Total score 7.0 /20
Narrative score D
Trend score
  • Trend line is up
  • Trend line is equal
  • Trend line is down
20 Hyundai Motor Co
Total score 6.6 /20
Narrative score D
Trend score
  • Trend line is up
  • Trend line is equal
  • Trend line is down
21 Guangzhou Automobile Group Co. Ltd (广州汽车集团有限公司|广汽集团)
Total score 7.3 /20
Narrative score E
Trend score
  • Trend line is up
  • Trend line is equal
  • Trend line is down
22 Subaru Corporation
Total score 7.8 /20
Narrative score E
Trend score
  • Trend line is up
  • Trend line is equal
  • Trend line is down
- Suzuki Motor Corporation
Total score 7.8 /20
Narrative score E
Trend score
  • Trend line is up
  • Trend line is equal
  • Trend line is down
24 SAIC Motor Corporation Limited (上海汽车集团股份有限公司|上汽集团)
Total score 7.0 /20
Narrative score E
Trend score
  • Trend line is up
  • Trend line is equal
  • Trend line is down
25 Dongfeng Automobile Co., Ltd (东风汽车股份有限公司|东风汽车)
Total score 5.1 /20
Narrative score E
Trend score
  • Trend line is up
  • Trend line is equal
  • Trend line is down