China's automobile export data for 2024 has been released.According to the data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (hereinafter referred to as 'CAAM'), even in 2024 when trade barriers are increasing, China's automobile exports will still reach 5.86 million vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 19%. Japan's automobile exports in the same period were 4.21 million vehicles, a year-on-year decrease of 5%. From 2023 to 2024, China's automobile exports have surpassed Japan for two consecutive years and topped the global list again.

The above data also reflects the improvement of the competitiveness of China's automobile industry in the global market. But at the same time, China's automobile exports have also reached an important turning point, and the year-on-year growth rate has begun to decline, and the period of high-speed growth has passed. Coupled with challenges such as differences in technical standards and regulations, trade barriers and tariffs, localized production and operations, Chinese auto companies still have more homework to do.

At the 2025 National People's Congress, many NPC deputies and CPPCC members from the automotive industry made suggestions on how to export Chinese cars to overseas markets with high quality, such as building a common database of overseas automobile markets, improving the industry association system for the export of automobile industries, and solving the problem of 'difficulty in returning to China for testing' of defective parts of automobiles sold overseas.

China's automobile exports have entered a new stage

In recent years, the outstanding performance of China's automobile exports has been obvious to all.

Before 2021, China's automobile exports had been hovering around the 1 million mark for many years. The real explosive growth was in 2021, when exports exceeded 2 million for the first time, with a year-on-year growth rate of more than 100%; in 2022, China's exports further climbed to 3.11 million, a year-on-year increase of 54%, surpassing Germany and becoming the world's second largest automobile exporter, second only to Japan; in 2023, my country's automobile exports will be nearly 5 million, with a year-on-year growth rate of 58%, surpassing Japan for the first time and becoming the world's largest automobile exporter.

From 2021 to 2023, China's automobile export market has achieved rapid growth for three consecutive years and achieved leapfrog development.

From the perspective of exporting countries, Chinese automobiles have not only become the leaders in the Middle East and Latin American automobile markets, but also headed for the European market.

The rapid growth of China's automobile exports in the past three years has been affected by macro-environmental factors and benefited from the endogenous growth of my country's automobile industry. On the one hand, China's automobile supply chain has shown strong resilience under the global epidemic, effectively filling the gap in some overseas markets where automobile supply is in short supply; on the other hand, China leads the world in automobile new energy and intelligence, and the enhanced competitiveness of its products has been recognized by overseas markets.

From the perspective of the development of independent brands overseas, Chery Automobile, SAIC Group (600104), Changan Automobile (000625), Geely Automobile (00175.HK), Great Wall Motors (601633), BYD (002594), etc., have all opened up a second growth curve in overseas markets.

In 2024, although China's automobile exports also increased by 19% year-on-year, with an absolute volume of 5.86 million vehicles, the growth rate has slowed down significantly. Some analysts believe that the slowdown in China's automobile export growth is due to the large base on the one hand, and the adverse effects of tariffs and non-tariff trade barriers on the other hand.

From the perspective of export structure, China's automobile exports in 2024 show that traditional fuel vehicles are better than new energy vehicles, which is contrary to the high-speed growth period in previous years. This is largely related to Europe's anti-subsidy investigation on Chinese electric vehicles and the high tariffs imposed by the United States on China's new energy vehicles.

And this trend will continue until 2025. The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers believes that my country's automobile exports are expected to reach 6.2 million vehicles in 2025, a year-on-year increase of 5.8%. 'In 2025, China's automobile exports will face some relatively large pressures and market changes, including increased external environmental pressures such as the EU's tariffs.' Xu Haidong, executive deputy secretary-general of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, said that based on multiple factors, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers is more cautious in predicting my country's automobile exports in 2025.

Judging from the export data in 2024 and the forecast for 2025, China's automobile exports have bid farewell to the high-speed growth period and entered a new stage of high-quality development.

How can Chinese car companies go overseas with high quality?

At a time when China's automobile exports have entered a new stage, high-quality overseas exports have become an industry consensus and a 'compulsory course' for Chinese auto companies.

Many heads of auto companies have mentioned the topic of 'high-quality overseas exports' in public. Li Shufu, chairman of Geely Holding Group, said that globalization is the only way for China's automobile industry, and proposed the concept of 'technology overseas exports' to enhance international competitiveness through new energy and intelligent technologies.

BYD Chairman Wang Chuanfu said that new energy vehicles are an important breakthrough for Chinese automobiles to go overseas, and proposed the strategy of 'exchanging technology for market'.

At the 2025 National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, many National People's Congress deputies and CPPCC members in the automobile industry once again made suggestions on how Chinese cars can go overseas with high quality.

Among them, Zhu Huarong, a member of the National People's Congress and chairman of Changan Automobile, said that with the continuous improvement of the competitiveness of Chinese auto brands and the increasingly fierce competition in the domestic market, Chinese auto brands are accelerating their move to overseas markets. However, Chinese auto companies also face many challenges in the process of going overseas, such as the complicated policies and regulations related to going overseas, repeated investment by various companies, and large waste of resources. At the same time, the diversity of overseas markets also challenges the adaptability of companies.

Zhu Huarong believes that in order to more effectively respond to challenges and enhance the overall adaptability and competitiveness of Chinese auto brands in overseas markets, it is necessary to build a unified common database to avoid the need for each auto company to conduct separate research and duplicate resource investment. Based on this, he suggested promoting the construction of a basic common database for overseas auto markets for companies to quickly call and accelerate the globalization process of Chinese auto companies. In addition, Zhu Huarong also suggested relying on the common database to expand in-depth consulting services, and to warn Chinese auto companies of risks and help avoid risks.

Limited by the relevant provisions of my country's existing laws and regulations, it is difficult to return to China for inspection of defective auto parts sold overseas, which affects the response speed and cost of overseas after-sales service of enterprises. In this regard, Feng Xingya, a member of the National People's Congress and chairman of GAC Group (601238), believes that he hopes to gradually relax import restrictions, establish a recycling pilot in the short term, and revise regulations and standards and optimize processes in the long term to solve the problem of 'difficulty in returning to China'.

Not only the 'heads' of auto companies are concerned about the export of cars. Hu Jianjiang, member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and vice chairman of the Supervisory Committee of the Hong Kong Economic and People's Livelihood Alliance, also made suggestions for this, suggesting that the industry association system for the automobile industry to go overseas should be improved, and when conditions are ripe, vehicle manufacturing and key supply chain companies with international development needs should be absorbed. At the same time, a regular communication mechanism between industry associations and government departments should be established to sort out policy bottlenecks and meet policy needs.

The construction of an overseas market service system is also critical. Hu Jianjiang believes that industry associations and think tanks should be encouraged to set up service centers in major overseas destinations, conduct in-depth research on local laws and regulations, market environment, etc., provide all-round and precise guidance for Chinese companies, and help establish a local industrial system; integrate local social resources, establish extensive contacts with government departments, organizations, etc., and build a shared resource relationship network.

In addition, automobile exports have become a hot topic at this year's local two sessions. It is clearly stated that in the new year, it will promote the 'going overseas' of advantageous industries, support leading enterprises in advantageous industries to form groups horizontally, share chains vertically, and cooperate in capital, and work together to expand overseas markets. We must support enterprises in seizing orders, expanding exports of electronic information, smart home appliances, electric vehicles and other products, stabilizing the markets in Europe, the United States, Japan and South Korea, expanding emerging markets such as ASEAN, the Middle East, Latin America and Central Asia, and tapping the market potential in Africa, the South Pacific island countries and other areas.