A popular singer who was hired as the face of a BYD brand has become a shareholder of the company, in a case that is garnering attention as a new advertising method in China’s increasingly cutthroat auto market.
“I want to bring China’s original music and technology, and the Chinese power that symbolizes this era, to a wider global stage,” Wang Leehom said at launch event in Guangdong for BYD’s high-end Denza brand last month.
On the same day, Denza announced it had appointed Wang, who debuted in 1995 and carries a wide fan base of both men and women, as the face of their brand.
Wang revealed that he purchased shares in BYD using the fees he received from the company.
“Not only did I gain a deeper understanding of BYD and feel that we share the same vision, but I also sincerely respect this company,” Wang said when asked why he become a shareholder.
Celebrity spokespeople revealing that they acquired shares in that company is rare. Becoming a shareholder means that the company’s earnings will affect Wang’s own income, and that he will bear some responsibility as a spokesperson. Chinese media described it as “the most audacious form of ‘investment-type advertising’ among automakers.”
Until recently, Chinese automotive advertising has been largely focused on vehicles’ functions, but marketing using celebrities has been accelerating. At Beijing’s Auto China exhibition in late April, actor Bai Jingting appeared at the launch event for an automotive brand involving telecommunications giant Huawei, eliciting screams from female fans.
There were 193 celebrities employed as spokespeople in China’s transportation industry, which includes automobiles, last year, according to consumer data analysis company Endata. The figure increased 71% from 2024, the highest growth among all industries, surpassing apparel and internet.
“Automobile companies are shifting from promoting functionality to appealing to emotional connections through stars,” Endata said.
Li Auto announced last September that film star Jackson Yee would be appearing in its ads, the first time the company has used a celebrity as a spokesperson since its 2015 founding.
Xpeng featured cellist Ouyang Nana, 25, at a launch event for a new electric vehicle in May 2025 in a bid to appeal to younger consumers.
Li Xiang, CEO of Li Auto, and He Xiaopeng, CEO of Xpeng, are both young founders that moved to the automotive sector from IT companies. They both symbolize the shift from gas-powered vehicles to new energy vehicles. And they both included their name in their companies, become the de facto faces of the brands.
But by 2025, the share of new energy vehicles in the Chinese market had risen to 48%, leading to a sense of saturation. As companies compete on features such as range, charging speed and high-performance driver assistance functions for EVs and plug-in hybrids, features and designs have become homogenized.
China’s automakers are now urgently trying to cultivate new customer segments by redefining their brand characteristics and stories through celebrities.
The US-born Wang’s emergence as a BYD shareholder comes as the company faces geopolitical pressure. Earlier this month, the US Department of Defense listed the automaker among companies it says have ties to the Chinese military. BYD said the move “lacks factual basis.”
This article first appeared on Nikkei Asia. It has been republished here as part of 36Kr’s ongoing partnership with Nikkei.