Reporter Liu Kai from China Times. net. cn reports from Beijing

Starting from a significant base in 2022, China's automobile exports have achieved remarkable growth in the following years. In 2022, China's automobile exports reached 3 million units, and by 2023, this number has almost doubled, approaching the milestone of 5 million units. This leap forward growth not only demonstrates the rapid rise of China's automotive industry, but also reflects the increasing competitiveness of Chinese automotive brands in the international market.

Entering 2024, the growth momentum of China's automobile exports remains strong. Recently, the General Administration of Customs of China released export data for 2024. Among them, China's automobile exports reached 6.41 million units in 2024, a year-on-year increase of 23%. At the same time, the export value of automobiles also achieved significant growth, reaching 117.4 billion US dollars, and its proportion in China's total export value increased from 1.7% to 3.3%.

This series of increasing data year by year not only demonstrates the strong competitiveness of China's automobile industry, but also becomes a key driving force for the sustained growth of China's automobile production and sales volume. The rapid development of China's automotive industry and the continuous expansion of the global market not only provide broader development space for Chinese automotive brands, but also bring more diverse and high-quality automotive product choices to global consumers. The rise and influence of China's automotive industry are profoundly changing the global landscape and future development trends of the automotive industry.

The export volume of automobiles continues to rise

In fact, since 2021, China's automobile export sector has experienced breakthrough growth, successfully breaking free from the long-standing situation of hovering around one million vehicles. Data shows that in 2021, China's automobile exports surpassed the 2 million mark for the first time. This achievement not only marks a significant leap for China in this field, but also enables China to surpass South Korea and become the third largest automobile exporting country in the world, second only to Japan and Germany.

Entering 2022, the strong momentum of China's automobile exports has continued, with the annual export volume climbing to 3.11 million vehicles, further surpassing Germany and making China the world's second largest automobile exporting country after Japan.

In 2023, China's automobile exports have once again reached a historic moment, with a total of 4.91 million vehicles exported throughout the year. This milestone achievement not only demonstrates the international competitiveness of China's automobile industry, but also makes China the top global automobile exporting country for the first time.

By 2024, Chinese automobile companies will still achieve remarkable results with their strong capabilities in industry chain integration, technological innovation, and market expansion strategies. The annual automobile export volume reached 6.41 million units, a year-on-year increase of up to 23%, demonstrating the strong resilience and growth potential of China's automobile industry. Although Japan has not yet released its full year car export data for 2024, the gap between China and Japan is quite evident based on the cumulative export volume (5.26 million vehicles) as of November 2024. Therefore, it can be predicted that China's leading position as a global auto exporter in 2024 has been as stable as Mount Tai, successfully defending its position as the world's top auto exporter.

The remarkable achievements of China's automobile exports in 2024 cannot be achieved without the collective rise of domestic independent brands. This trend can be clearly seen from the 2024 export list of car companies. Chery Automobile and SAIC Group won the championship and runner up respectively with significant advantages, with export volumes of 1.14 million and 920000 vehicles, respectively.

Following closely behind is Changan Automobile, which ranks third with an export volume of 536000 vehicles. Geely Automobile and Great Wall Motors follow closely with export results of 532000 and 453000 vehicles, respectively, demonstrating their stable layout and sustained growth in the global market. It is worth mentioning that BYD Auto's export performance in 2024 was particularly impressive, with a year-on-year increase of over 70% in export volume, ranking first among domestic car companies with a growth rate of 433000 vehicles. This marks significant achievements in BYD's internationalization strategy in the field of new energy vehicles.

In addition, BAIC Group has also secured a place on the list with an export volume of 274000 vehicles, demonstrating its active expansion in overseas markets. Although Tesla's Shanghai Gigafactory also contributed 260000 vehicles to China's automobile exports in 2024, this data has fallen out of the top five in terms of export volume compared to the rapid growth of domestic domestic brands, further highlighting the rise of Chinese domestic brands in the global automobile market.

Automotive analyst Wang Kun told a reporter from Huaxia Times, "The impressive results of China's automobile exports in 2024 are the result of the collective efforts, continuous innovation, and active expansion of overseas markets by domestic independent brands. In the future, with the continuous upgrading of China's automobile industry and the deepening of its internationalization strategy, Chinese independent brands are expected to write a more brilliant chapter in the global automobile market

New energy vehicles become the main force

In 2024, China's automobile export sector will see a historic breakthrough, with new energy vehicles playing a pivotal role and becoming a key force in promoting the internationalization of the Chinese automobile industry.

According to Lv Daliang, Director of the Statistics and Analysis Department of the General Administration of Customs, China's new energy vehicle exports have achieved a qualitative leap in 2024, surpassing the 2 million vehicle mark for the first time. This milestone achievement not only marks the vigorous development of China's new energy vehicle industry, but also indicates a significant increase in the influence of Chinese automobile brands on the global stage.

Looking back at the past, the proportion of new energy vehicles in China's total automobile exports has gone from insignificant in 2021 to dominant today. This transformation not only witnesses the rise of independent brands, but also helps China continuously surpass automobile powerhouses such as South Korea, Germany, and Japan, becoming the world's largest automobile exporter in one fell swoop. New energy, this keyword has become a shining business card for Chinese cars in the international market.

At the same time, the rapid growth of new energy vehicles has also given Chinese car companies unprecedented initiative, enabling Chinese car brands to occupy a more advantageous position in global competition. According to the latest data released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, from January to November 2024, Belgium (242300 units), Brazil (149900 units), the United Kingdom (112000 units), Thailand (105900 units), and the Philippines (105700 units) ranked among the top five in terms of new energy vehicle exports, indicating strong demand for Chinese new energy vehicles in the European and Southeast Asian markets. Cui Dongshu, Secretary General of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, analyzed that in 2024, the main direction of China's new energy vehicle exports will be concentrated in European countries such as Belgium and the United Kingdom, as well as Southeast Asian countries such as Brazil and Thailand. These markets have a strong demand for China's new energy vehicles, which is an important driving force for the sustained growth of China's new energy vehicle exports.”

In the industry's view, although China's automobile exports have achieved significant growth, its path to internationalization is still full of thorns. Especially in October 2024, the European Union officially decided to impose an additional tariff of up to 35.3% on Chinese electric vehicles. After adding the basic tax rate, the comprehensive tax rate for Chinese electric vehicle exports to the EU climbed to a high of 45.3%. This behavior is widely regarded as a manifestation of unfair competition, which not only violates the basic principles of global competition in the automotive industry, but may also have adverse effects on the healthy development of the global automotive industry.

Based on the severe situation, Cui Dongshu predicts that given the possibility of negative growth in the Russian market and the heavy pressure of high tariffs on the European market, the growth rate of China's automobile exports may slow down to 10% by 2025, and the export growth of pure electric vehicles may even stagnate, with zero growth.

However, in the face of the tariff barriers built by the European Union, Chinese car manufacturers have not backed down, but quickly adjusted their strategic direction, shifting their focus to regions with booming electric vehicle markets such as the Middle East, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. These emerging markets have opened up new growth poles for Chinese car companies, helping them to continue expanding their overseas presence. In fact, some Chinese car companies have taken substantial steps, such as Chery and Spain's Ebro EV Motors jointly building a joint venture to explore new blue ocean in the field of electric vehicles. At the same time, Stellantis has also formed a strong alliance with Leapmotor to establish a joint venture.

The brilliant record of China's automobile exports in 2024, especially the emergence of new energy vehicles, is not only a direct result of the transformation and upgrading of China's automobile industry, but also a clear example of the successful implementation of China's brand internationalization strategy. Wang Kun emphasized that looking forward to the future, with the continuous innovation of technology and the continuous expansion of the market, China's new energy vehicles are expected to occupy a more pivotal position in the global automobile market.

Responsible Editor: Li Yan'an Editor in Chief: Yu Jianping