Why culture took over luxury cars in 2025

In collaboration with media platform Cart Dept., our bi-weekly Cars and Culture newsletter tracks the intersection of cars and culture across APAC, from luxury automotives entering real estate to China’s growing dominance in the EV market. Drawing on insights from the past 12 months, here’s what defined luxury cars in the region in 2025. China’s Europe domination One of the biggest automotive stories this year was China’s escalating presence in Europe. Geely exemplified this surge. With the launch of its EX5 electric SUV in the U.K. and plans to introduce 10 models there over the next three years, the company aims for 100,000 annual vehicle sales in the U.K. by 2030 and 100 local sales and service outlets by 2026. H1 2025 figures illustrate this momentum. Global vehicle sales reached 1.409 million units, up 47% year-on-year; new energy vehicle (NEV) sales jumped 126% to 725,000 units; and pure-electric exports climbed 307%. Chinese brands accounted for 5.9% of European registrations in May, more than double the 2.9% share recorded a year earlier. Collabs: The culture machines In 2025, Chinese art toy behemoth Pop Mart attained major global cultural capital and expanded into the automotive sector. Labubu, the collectible monster toy by Hong Kong artist Kasing Lung, proved particularly lucrative in 2025. Porsche’s collaboration with Lung, unveiled at the Icons of Porsche event in Dubai, pushed the collectible-to-car pipeline into new territory: a 40 cm “King Mon in Porsche 911 Targa” sculpture limited to 60 units, plus a life-size Labubu piloting a 992 Targa art car. The project marked 10 years of Lung’s The Monsters series and 60 years of the Targa, but it debuted just as Labubu’s hype was starting to wane. Other brands embraced designers with global fashion credibility. Audi tapped Chinese designer Feng Chen Wang to conceptualize a China-exclusive A7L, accompanied by a capsule collection mirroring the car’s sculptural lines and futuristic surfaces — part of a long-term plan to connect with China’s design-forward luxury buyers. Meanwhile, Japanese streetwear player Bape brought its ABC Camo to Liberty Walk’s Lamborghini Huracán GT, creating a big supercar moment. A pop-up exhibition featured an ultra-rare Pagani Huayra Roadster BC with bespoke ABC Camo interiors, demonstrating how streetwear continues to influence the supercar marketing playbook. EVs: The power shift Electric vehicles dominated APAC headlines in 2025. China’s BYD led global battery electric vehicle (BEV) sales with 606,993 units in the second quarter — seizing 18.3% market share and overtaking Tesla. Momentum in NEVs remained strong: BYD sold 2.15 million NEVs in H1 2025, up 33% YoY, while exports surged 230%. Geely’s NEV sales grew 126% YoY, and Chery led exports with 550,300 units. Japan also showed promising demand. General Motors announced plans to roll out right-hand-drive Cadillac EVs for the first time in Japan in 2026, signaling the company’s renewed global ambition. Across markets, technological advancements and cultural marketing strategies continued to define 2025. For more automotive coverage and exclusive interviews, subscribe to our bi-weekly Cars & Culture newsletter. By signing up you will receive the latest in EVs, F1, design, automotive culture and collaborations — delivered straight to your inbox.

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Why culture took over luxury cars in 2025