According to the latest data from JATO Dynamics, in the first half of 2025,
the sales volume of Chinese auto brands in Europe increased by 91% year-on-year.
With the advantage of high quality-to-price ratio, Chinese automobiles are
favored by European consumers.
This wave of going global has also swept across Southeast Asia. On July 23rd,
at the Indonesia International Motor Show (GIIAS) held in Jakarta, BYD showcased
its sub-brand Denza and officially launched the Seagull model, further enriching
BYD's product lineup in the local market and continuously strengthening its
brand influence.
From Europe to Southeast Asia, since the beginning of this year, Chinese
automakers have continued to respond to the complex international situation with
diversified layouts. Data shows that in the first six months, China's auto
exports reached 3.47 million units, up 18.6% year-on-year. The high growth rate
not only demonstrates the industry's strong competitiveness and resilience, but
also sketches out the path of progress for Chinese automobiles to set sail
globally.
The total volume of exports has stabilized, but the structure is
differentiated
At present, China's auto exports are characterized by a stable total volume
and structural differentiation. From the perspective of export products,
passenger vehicles remain the main force in exports, including models such as
sedans, SUVs and MPVS. Among them, SUV models have become the first choice for
overseas consumers due to their off-road performance and spacious interior. In
the first six months, China's passenger vehicle exports exceeded 2.9458 million
units, up 17.3% year-on-year.
Commercial vehicle exports also performed strongly, including trucks and
buses, etc. With the advancement of global infrastructure construction, the
demand for commercial vehicles continues to grow, providing a broad space for
China's commercial vehicle exports. In the first six months, China exported
526,800 commercial vehicles, up 26.4% year-on-year.
New energy vehicles continue to be a major highlight of China's auto exports.
Thanks to technological innovation and the advantages of the industrial chain
and supply chain, the competitiveness of China's new energy vehicles in the
international market has been rapidly enhanced. Data shows that in the first six
months, China exported 1.3702 million new energy passenger vehicles, up 39.1%
year-on-year.
From the perspective of the export market, Sun Xiaohong, the
secretary-general of the Automobile Internationalization Professional Committee
of the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and
Electronic Products, believes that the most notable change in China's complete
vehicle export market this year is the shift in regional focus, from excessive
reliance on a single market to a diversified layout. At present, Asia, Europe
and Latin America are the main overseas markets for China's complete vehicle
exports. In the first six months, China exported 1.4532 million complete
vehicles to Asia, an increase of 40.8% year-on-year. Exports to Europe reached
827,000 units, a year-on-year decrease of 16.4%. Exports to Latin America
reached 719,600 vehicles, representing a year-on-year increase of 21.6%.
In terms of the distribution of export countries, Mexico, the United Arab
Emirates and Russia are the top three countries in terms of the number of
China's complete vehicle exports. In the first six months, China exported
279,800 complete vehicles to Mexico, representing a year-on-year increase of
23.6%. Exports to the United Arab Emirates reached 228,700 vehicles,
representing a year-on-year growth of 61.4%. Exports to Russia reached 179,500
units, a year-on-year decrease of 62.5%.
In addition, both the export volume and export value of Chinese complete
vehicles to emerging markets have achieved year-on-year growth. In the first six
months, China exported 2.8319 million complete vehicles to emerging markets, up
17.3% year-on-year. The export volume was 46.426 billion US dollars, increasing
by 9.8% year-on-year. Among them, the export volumes to the United Arab
Emirates, Australia, Indonesia and Kazakhstan increased significantly, reaching
61.4%, 56.9%, 112.7% and 97.8% respectively.
"Three-directional breakthroughs" expand the space for going global
However, Chinese automobiles going global also face numerous challenges such
as anti-globalization, geopolitics, tariff and non-tariff barriers. Wu Songquan,
senior chief expert of China Automotive Technology and Research Center and chief
engineer of China Automotive Strategy and Policy Research Center, said at the
2025 China Auto Forum that in the face of many difficulties, there is still huge
growth space for Chinese auto exports. Chinese auto enterprises should build
long-term growth poles through "three-directional breakthroughs" to achieve
high-quality development.
He mentioned that the first step is to seek growth from large overseas auto
markets, which is a key growth point for auto exports. The global automotive
market is huge. The sales of automobiles in countries and regions such as the
United States, the European Union, India, Japan, ASEAN, Brazil, the United
Kingdom, Mexico, Russia, the Gulf Cooperation Council, and Australia and New
Zealand all exceed one million units. There are also some markets with sales
reaching hundreds of thousands of units. Chinese auto enterprises should focus
on these large markets, plan targeted strategies, gradually increase their
market share, and thereby achieve rapid growth in the scale of auto exports.
Secondly, it is necessary to seek additional production from overseas
localization. The development history of Japanese and South Korean automotive
enterprises indicates that localized production overseas is an inevitable trend
for automobiles to go global. Wu Songquan mentioned that China's auto export
volume reached 5.86 million units in 2024 and is expected to peak in the next
five years. Subsequently, it will gradually shift to mainly overseas production.
Localized production not only helps avoid trade barriers but also better meets
local market demands and enhances brand influence.
Secondly, we should seek growth in the overseas expansion of new energy
vehicles and seize the opportunities of electrification in overseas markets.
Last year, global sales of new energy vehicles exceeded 19 million units, with a
penetration rate of over 20%. It is expected that the penetration rate will
exceed 35% by 2030. China's new energy vehicles have already demonstrated strong
competitiveness in terms of products and industrial chains. Chinese auto
enterprises should seize the opportunities of electrification in overseas
markets, accelerate their layout, and increase their global market share. Wu
Songquan said.
Wu Songquan also suggested that in the process of going global, Chinese auto
enterprises should adhere to long-termism, draw on the experience of successful
foreign enterprises, formulate market entry strategies, attach importance to
brand, quality and after-sales service, and gradually build world-class
enterprises and brands that are deeply trusted by global users.
www.yuanda-export.com
Shaanxi Yuanda Auto Service Co., Ltd.
