China's Auto Export Mid-Year Report: A Comprehensive Overview of Export Volume, Markets, and Trends
Produced by Zhineng Auto
In the first half of 2025, China's automobile exports maintained an overall growth trend, but the growth rate gradually slowed down, and the industrial structure underwent significant changes.
● The cumulative export volume of passenger cars and commercial vehicles is considerable,with passenger cars reaching 2.581 million units and commercial vehicles 502,000 units.
● In terms of energy structure,traditional fuel vehicles cumulatively exported 2.023 million units, showing a downward trend, while new energy vehicles cumulatively exported 1.06 million units, growing rapidly(currently approximately 2:1 between the two), with pure electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles performing outstandingly.
● In terms of car company structure,leading car companies such as Chery and BYD contributed significantly, with Chery cumulatively exporting 548,000 units and BYD reaching 472,000 units.
If second-hand car exports are included, China's automotive industry competitiveness is very strong, but it faces challenges. In the future, it needs to strengthen innovation and layout to consolidate its advantages.
Part 1
Structural changes under the slowdown in total exports:
Passenger cars and new energy become key variables
In the first half of 2025, although China's automobile exports continued the overall growth trend, the speed slowed down compared to the previous two years.
According to June data, vehicle exports were about 592,000 units, with passenger cars accounting for 502,000 units, over 84%, and commercial vehicles 90,000 units.
In terms of passenger cars, the cumulative export volume from January to June reached 2.581 million units, showing a monthly increasing trend, rising from 395,000 units in January to 502,000 units in June; commercial vehicles cumulatively exported 502,000 units, maintaining a stable growth pace.
The export volume of traditional fuel vehicles showed an overall downward trend, with a cumulative export of 2.023 million units in the first half of the year. The export volume in January was 320,000 units, followed by fluctuations and declines in the subsequent months, with the export volume in June being 387,000 units. The demand for traditional fuel vehicles in overseas markets is being squeezed by new energy vehicles.
The export volume of new energy vehicles showed a rapid growth trend, with a cumulative export of 1.06 million units in the first half of the year. The export volume in January was 150,000 units, and by June it had increased to 205,000 units, with pure electric vehicles being the main export force, cumulatively exporting 670,000 units, and plug-in hybrid vehicles showing outstanding growth, cumulatively exporting 390,000 units.
The strong growth in new energy vehicle exports is due to China's advantages in new energy vehicle technology research and development, industrial chain support, and the global demand for low-carbon travel.
As Chinese car companies continue to increase their channel construction and brand investment in overseas passenger car markets, the share of passenger cars, especially in the A, B, and SUV segments, is steadily expanding. The improvement in domestic industrial chain efficiency and the increase in intelligence levels have made Chinese passenger car products more cost-effective and competitive in overseas markets.
The rapid growth in passenger car exports also reflects the release of market demand for individual consumer needs, different from the past commercial vehicle orders dominated by bulk purchases. This structural change means that the export market is expanding from single-driven to diversified consumption, relying more on product strength, brand recognition, and after-sales capability.
Car companies must also accelerate the construction of global organizational capabilities in the process of participating in global market competition. Behind this is the continuous improvement of domestic automotive manufacturing systems in terms of capacity, research and development, and platform capabilities.
From the scalability of the vehicle platform,module versatility, to the enhancement of terminal customization support capabilities, Chinese brands have gradually acquired the ability to quickly respond to differentiated needs in overseas markets, laying a solid foundation for passenger car exports.
The proportion of new energy vehicles in the export structure in the first half of 2025 continues to rise, becoming the main engine driving export growth.
Data shows: the export volume of new energy vehicles rose from 150,000 units at the beginning of the year to 205,000 units in June, with pure electric models exporting 130,000 units in June, doubling year-on-year; plug-in hybrids reached 75,000 units in the same month, with a year-on-year growth of 2.4 times.
Overall, the growth of new energy vehicle exports no longer relies on single policy-driven factors, but reflects the multiple roles of product competitiveness, supply chain support capabilities, and international market acceptance.
As the main force of new energy exports, the high growth of pure electric vehicles is mainly attributed to the continuous release of demand for small and medium-sizedcross-border vehicles, the update and replacement of urban shared mobility platforms, and the continuation of fiscal subsidy policies for electrification replacement in some regions.
In some countries in Southeast Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East, low-carbon transportation transformation has become a mid-term policy goal, opening a structural opportunity window for Chinese brands.
The explosive growth of plug-in hybrid vehicle exports is more due to its technical advantages in global multi-scenario adaptability.
◎ Plug-in hybrids provide higher range redundancy betweenoil and electricity switching, alleviating user anxiety in areas where charging infrastructure is not yet perfect;
◎ Balancing between power performance and cost also makes it easier to attract middle-class users who are price-sensitive but have energy-saving demands.
This "offensive and defensive" product attribute makes plug-in hybrids a quickly accepted intermediate path overseas.
Part 2
Competition between Chery and BYD
In terms of competitive landscape, Chery and BYD form a dual strong export trend.
◎ Chery ranks first with a cumulative export of 548,000 units in the first half of the year, relying on a product layout of traditional fuel + new energy dual-line advancement and a wide export channel network, forming brand stability in multiple emerging markets.
◎ BYD relies on its strong new energy technology platform and vertically integrated supply system to form rapid expansion capabilities. Its June exports reached 90,000 units, with a total of 472,000 units in the first half of the year, only 76,000 units behind Chery, showing a rapid catching-up momentum.
BYD's acceleration is not only a catch-up in sales but also a comprehensive improvement in industrial efficiency and brand power.
Achieving localized assembly and sales network construction in multiple overseas locations allows its new energy models to show stronger adaptability when dealing with different national certifications, user preferences, and after-sales services. Especially in the European market, it has gained recognition from mainstream media and consumers with its technical capabilities and safety performance, enhancing brand bargaining space.
In addition to these two main car companies, SAIC, Changan, and Geely are also actively expanding overseas exports, focusing on different market needs.
◎ For example, SAIC enters the South American and African markets with cost-effectiveness and reliability as core advantages;
◎ Geely tries to enhance its image in the Middle East and European markets through high-end new energy brand strategies;
◎ Changan relies on existing overseas joint ventures and cooperation channels to make efforts in the Asia-Pacific market.
The competition among car companies in exports has entered a refined stage, gradually shifting from simply competing in quantity to competing in system strength, product structure, and local response speed. The strong rise of new energy also forces car companies to reassessplatform architectureand the adaptability between export strategies, building a more resilient overseas operation system.
Summary
In the first half of 2025, while maintaining overall growth in China's automobile exports, an important structural transformation was completed.
Passenger cars have become the main export force, and new energy has become the core of growth, guiding the entire export system towards higher added value, stronger technical support, and broader market adaptability.
Leading export companies represented by Chery and BYD have achieved a preliminary leap from "export manufacturing" to "global operation" through technological differentiation, localized operations, and brand output. Of course, this process will also bring great friction, and we continue to observe the situation of China's automobile exports.
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