Last Updated -
June 11, 2026
Explore the business model, global strategy, and market performance including insights into its position in China.
Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited, known as CATL, was founded in 2011 and is headquartered in Ningde, Fujian, China. The company is a global leader in lithium-ion batteries and zero-carbon energy technology, with core businesses in electric-vehicle power batteries, energy-storage batteries and systems, battery materials, recycling, and broader electrification solutions. Its products include battery cells, battery packs, fast-charging and hybrid battery systems, sodium-ion batteries, battery-swapping solutions, marine batteries, and large energy-storage systems for utilities, developers, and infrastructure customers.
CATL has grown from a China-based battery manufacturer into one of the most important suppliers in the global electric-vehicle and energy-storage supply chain. China remains operationally central through its manufacturing base, research network, customer ecosystem, and Shenzhen listing, while its 2025 Hong Kong listing added an A+H share platform to support international expansion. In 2025, CATL reported 661 GWh of lithium-ion battery sales, 772 GWh of production capacity, and 321 GWh of capacity under construction, with its batteries installed in more than 24 million vehicles and its energy-storage products deployed in about 2,300 projects worldwide.
The company’s strategic purpose is to advance zero-carbon energy through large-scale electrification, battery innovation, and circular battery materials. It reported No. 1 global market positions in 2025 with 39.2% share in power batteries and 30.4% share in energy-storage battery shipments, based on SNE Research figures cited by the company. In Q1 2026, CATL generated RMB 129.131 billion in revenue, up 52.45% year over year, and RMB 20.738 billion in net profit attributable to shareholders, up 48.52%. At March 31, 2026, total assets were RMB 1.046 trillion, reflecting the scale of a company that sits at the center of EV adoption, grid storage growth, and next-generation battery chemistry development.
CATL makes money by designing, manufacturing and selling lithium-ion and emerging-chemistry batteries, battery packs, energy-storage systems and related electrification solutions. Its largest business is power batteries for electric vehicles, supported by a fast-growing energy-storage business and smaller activities in battery materials, recycling, battery swapping, supercharging, marine electrification and aviation-related battery technology.
The model is scale-driven. CATL sells high-volume battery products to automakers, commercial-vehicle makers, energy-storage developers, utilities and infrastructure customers, then reinforces those relationships through technology upgrades, manufacturing capacity, service coverage and long-term supply capability. In Q1 2026, the company reported operating revenue of RMB 129.131 billion, up 52.45% year on year, and net profit attributable to shareholders of RMB 20.738 billion, up 48.52%. Operating cash flow was RMB 33.681 billion, showing that the business remains cash generative despite heavy investment needs.
CATL’s competitive advantages are manufacturing scale, technology breadth, customer reach and capital capacity. It reported 661 GWh of lithium-ion battery sales in 2025, up 39%, and global production capacity of 772 GWh, with another 321 GWh under construction at year-end. Its R&D investment reached RMB 22.1 billion in 2025, and cumulative R&D spending over the prior decade exceeded RMB 90 billion. Product platforms include Shenxing fast-charging batteries, Freevoy hybrid batteries, Qilin condensed batteries, Naxtra sodium-ion batteries, TENER storage systems and battery-swapping solutions.
The company’s market position is leading by global share. CATL cited SNE Research figures showing a 39.2% global power-battery market share in 2025, ranking No. 1 for the ninth consecutive year. It also held 30.4% global energy-storage battery shipment share, ranking No. 1 for the fifth consecutive year. Its batteries had been installed in more than 24 million vehicles worldwide, and its energy-storage products had been deployed in about 2,300 projects worldwide by the 2025 annual-report release.
China remains operationally central to CATL. The company is headquartered in Ningde, trades in Shenzhen and Hong Kong, and benefits from China’s large EV, plug-in hybrid, battery-swapping, supercharging and grid-storage ecosystems. At the same time, its overseas power-battery market share rose to 30% in 2025, showing that CATL’s position is broader than China’s domestic EV market. The 2025 Hong Kong listing added an A+H share platform to support global capital access and international expansion.
Direct competitors include BYD, LG Energy Solution, Panasonic Energy, Samsung SDI, SK On, CALB, EVE Energy, Gotion High-Tech and other Chinese and global battery suppliers. Compared with BYD, CATL is more focused on supplying batteries and energy-storage systems to a broad customer base, while BYD combines battery production with its own large vehicle manufacturing business. Compared with LG Energy Solution and Panasonic, CATL has larger global market share and a stronger home-base advantage in China, while those peers have deeper positions with selected Japanese, Korean, European and US automaker relationships.
CATL’s market position is strongest where scale, cost control, chemistry options and customer integration matter most. The main investor question is whether it sustains margins and utilization as global battery capacity expands, EV pricing pressure continues and governments apply more local-content, trade and strategic-technology restrictions to battery supply chains.
China is CATL’s home market and operational center. The company is headquartered in Ningde, Fujian, reports under PRC rules, and has major manufacturing, R&D, customer and supply-chain operations in China, while also listing in both Shenzhen and Hong Kong. In Q1 2026, CATL reported operating revenue of RMB 129.131 billion, up 52.45% year over year, and net profit attributable to shareholders of RMB 20.738 billion, up 48.52%. Its China strategy is built around scale manufacturing, deep automaker relationships, energy-storage systems, battery swapping, supercharging, and localization for China’s EV and grid-storage demand. Key local partners include Changan, which launched a mass-production sodium-ion passenger vehicle with CATL in February 2026, and HyperStrong, which signed a three-year 60 GWh sodium-ion energy-storage cooperation agreement in May 2026. Main competitors in China include BYD, CALB, EVE Energy, Gotion High-tech, and SVOLT.
CATL entered 2026 with strong operating momentum after a clear acceleration in 2025. Revenue rose 17% in 2025 to RMB 423.7 billion, while net profit attributable to shareholders increased 42% to RMB 72.2 billion. The first quarter of 2026 extended that trend, with operating revenue up 52.45% year over year to RMB 129.131 billion and net profit attributable to shareholders up 48.52% to RMB 20.738 billion. Operating cash flow remained positive at RMB 33.681 billion, and total assets passed RMB 1.0 trillion by the end of March 2026. The turning point is that CATL is no longer only scaling with China’s EV market. It is building a broader battery platform across vehicles, grid storage, infrastructure and circular materials.
CATL’s outlook remains supported by scale, cash generation, technology breadth and leading positions in both EV and energy-storage batteries. The main question for investors is whether profit growth keeps pace with volume growth as the industry absorbs new capacity and faces tougher trade and pricing conditions. If CATL maintains cost discipline, advances sodium-ion commercialization and converts storage demand into profitable deployments, it is positioned to remain one of the central companies in global electrification.
This Company Profile was written by Dominik Diemer
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