In 2021, Chinese automotive exports reached $34.5 billion. Five years later, in the first half of 2026 alone, this figure reached $91.8 billion, approaching the hundred-billion-dollar threshold.

From 34.5 billion to $91.8 billion in just half a year, the Chinese automotive industry has completed in five years what many nations accomplished over decades.

Automotive Exports Reshape China's Export DNA

Data from the General Administration of Customs shows that from January to June 2026, China's total merchandise export volume was $2.1258 trillion, a year-on-year increase of 17%. Among them, complete vehicle exports reached $91.8 billion, a significant year-on-year increase of 54%; the monthly export volume in June alone was $18.2 billion, with a year-on-year growth rate rising to 70%.

Source: Huaban Network

In terms of volume, China's automotive achievements remain eye-catching: Statistics from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers show that the first half saw automotive exports of 5.096 million units, a year-on-year increase of 65.3%. The half-year export volume broke the 5 million unit threshold for the first time in history. June's single-month export volume was 1.037 million units, a year-on-year increase of 75.1%, breaking the 1 million unit mark for a single month for the first time.

Overall export growth was 17%, while automotive export growth was 54%—behind the nearly three-fold "scissors difference" is a profound shift in China's export engine. Cui Dongshu, Secretary-General of the China Passenger Car Association, summarized this change as: "Automotive exports have performed extremely well in recent years, rising from $34.5 billion in 2021 to $117.4 billion in 2024, forming a trend of explosive growth." The full year of 2025 reached $142.4 billion. And in just the first half of 2026, $91.8 billion has been reached, making the annual breakthrough of $150 billion inevitable.

Source: Huaban Network

What truly reshapes the export landscape is not just the automotive category. Customs data shows that the first half saw lithium battery exports of $48.7 billion, a year-on-year increase of 43%; solar cell exports of $32.9 billion, a year-on-year increase of 24%. The "New Three Items" combined exports increased by 51.6% year-on-year to $118.35 billion. Among the three, electric vehicles had the highest growth rate, with cumulative exports of $52.1 billion in the first half, an increase of 75.1% year-on-year. Relying on the first-mover advantage of new energy and intelligent innovation capabilities, Chinese automobiles have not only achieved a leap in export scale but, through deep integration with artificial intelligence, have become an important force driving global automotive R&D and design innovation.

From clothing and home appliances to automobiles, lithium batteries, and solar cells, China's export "main lineup" is being redefined. And automobiles are undoubtedly the absolute core of this new lineup.

Who Is Driving This "Rush"?

The numbers showing growth in both volume and value are only the first layer of the narrative. What is truly worth asking is: Where does this growth momentum come from?

The answer lies within the explosion of new energy vehicles.

Data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers shows that new energy vehicle exports reached 2.355 million units in the first half, a 1.2-fold increase year-on-year, accounting for over 46% of total automotive exports. In June alone, new energy vehicle exports were 523,000 units, a 1.6-fold increase year-on-year. Chen Shihua, Deputy Secretary-General of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, stated at the monthly information release that automotive exports in the first half were "better than expected and formed a stable support".

Specifically, the passenger car segment exports in June reached $14.5 billion, a year-on-year increase of 84%, representing a 658% increase compared to the same period in 2021. Among these, new energy vehicles are the "main battle horse" pulling the passenger car export rush. New energy vehicle exports in the first half reached 2.355 million units, a 1.2-fold increase year-on-year, accounting for over 46% of total automotive exports. China's new energy vehicle industry chain, from mineral processing and battery manufacturing to complete vehicle integration, has formed the world's most complete and cost-competitive closed loop. If past Chinese automotive exports relied on cost-performance ratio, now it is about technological generation gap.

Many professionals judge thus: Chinese automotive exports are ushering in a critical leap from "scale expansion" to "value export", shifting from the past focus on cost-performance ratio to the trend of technological generation gap. China's new energy vehicle three-electric systems and intelligent supply chains possess stronger product competitiveness overseas.

Source: Geely Automobile

The differentiated pattern of the export market further confirms this trend. From January to May 2026, Brazil surpassed Russia to become China's largest export market with passenger car exports of 372,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 178.7%; Russia followed with 351,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 139.8%.

The two countries combined account for more than 40% of the total top ten in Chinese passenger car exports. Markets such as the UK, Belgium, Italy, and Australia also maintained rapid growth. Analysis by Gasgoo Auto Research Institute pointed out that the European market is "blooming everywhere, and if Russia is included, Europe accounts for over half of Chinese passenger car exports".

In terms of new energy, from January to May 2026, among the top five destinations for Chinese new energy passenger car exports, Brazil ranked first with 283,000 units, followed by Belgium and the UK. New energy exports in Italy and Germany surged by 365.3% and 211.2% year-on-year respectively—Chinese new energy vehicles have successfully entered the hinterland of traditional automotive powerhouse nations.

Meanwhile, the global map of Chinese automotive exports is also undergoing reconstruction. The Latin American market shows a bipolar differentiation—Brazil saw a surge in sales driven by pre-purchases due to expectations of tariff hikes in July; while Mexico saw exports decline by 40% year-on-year due to tariff hikes early in the year and tighter North American trade policies. Markets such as the UAE in the Middle East also entered an adjustment period, down 32.6% year-on-year. This differentiation indicates to some extent that Chinese automotive exports have moved from "indiscriminate" extensive expansion into a new stage of refined operations.

Source: Chery Automobile

Changes at the enterprise level are also worth noting. Data from the China Passenger Car Association shows that among the top ten exporting car companies in the first half, Chery Automobile led with 931,500 units, a year-on-year increase of 70.9%; BYD followed with 769,300 units, a year-on-year increase of 73.6%. The two combined accounted for nearly 40% of the top ten total. Geely Automobile exported 472,500 units in the first half, a year-on-year increase of 158.3%; SAIC Passenger Car 404,200 units; Great Wall Motor 256,000 units; Tesla China 229,000 units.

More worth examining is the export ratio indicator. Chery's exports accounted for 74.3% of its total sales—meaning over 70% of this company's cars were sold overseas; BYD's overseas sales ratio exceeded 40%; Great Wall Motor's export ratio also reached 50%. The ratio of automotive exports to domestic sales in the first half rose to 37%, while the same period last year was only 19%. "Going global" has changed from an "elective course" for individual enterprises to a "compulsory course" for the entire industry, and the overseas market is moving from "icing on the cake" to "half of the business".

Undercurrents and Solutions Beneath the Splendid View

High-growth numbers are indeed exciting, but the structural contradictions hidden beneath the data that cannot be avoided are also worth noting.

Among them, the most prominent is the "ice and fire" situation between complete vehicles and components. Complete vehicle exports in the first half reached $91.8 billion, a year-on-year increase of 54%; component exports were $51.3 billion, a year-on-year increase of only 7%. The "scissors difference" is obvious.

Chen Jingjing, Secretary-General of the Automotive Branch of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade in Machinery and Electronic Products, pointed out in an interview with the media that "the gathering place of automotive component exports is basically traditional automotive manufacturing powerhouse countries, represented by the USA and the EU, where measures to restrict exports to China are being continuously implemented". This forms a stark contrast with complete vehicle exports "basically not going to the USA".

Chen Jingjing further warned that Chinese automotive exports "have left the stage of pure trade driving, and future must shift to localized and systematic deep cultivation". She specifically pointed out that domestic enterprises going global generally have the shortcoming of "emphasizing sales and neglecting after-sales". "Short-term volume boosting will only overdraw the brand. After-sales, spare parts, user repurchase, and local reputation are the core lifeline for long-term deep cultivation in overseas markets." Cui Dongshu's judgment was more direct, stating "must follow the development of independent complete vehicle enterprises".

While the high growth of complete vehicle exports is gratifying, if components lag behind for a long time, the "autonomous and controllable" nature of Chinese automotive exports will face the risk of hollowing out.

Additionally, the continuous escalation of trade barriers is another practical pressure. Starting from October 2024, the EU levied final countervailing duties on Chinese pure electric vehicles for a period of five years, adding an extra tax burden of 7.8% to 35.3% on top of a 10% basic tariff. BYD, Geely, and SAIC were separately subjected to tax rates of 17%, 18.8%, and 35.3%. In June 2026, the European Commission planned to expand the scope of countervailing duties to plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Xinhua Finance reported that the new rules may refer to pure electric standards, and the maximum comprehensive tax rate can also exceed 45%.

Non-tariff barriers are also upgrading. The EU plans to launch the "Supply Chain Diversification Instrument" and the "Public Procurement Act" in September 2026, requiring enterprises in sensitive industries to establish diversified supply channels in key fields, setting a limit of 30% to 40% on the procurement ratio for single suppliers.

At the same time, Brazil has unified the tariff on imported electric vehicles to 35% starting from July 1st. Thailand implemented a "capacity commitment mechanism", requiring car companies to exchange export volume for localization production indicators. Tariffs and non-tariff barriers are converging and strengthening.

Facing the increasingly high walls, Chinese car companies' answer is not to "go around", but to "dig in"—from "trade export" to "industry export".

For example, a factory of a domestic new energy complete vehicle enterprise in Brazil is the most typical sample. The factory welcomed its 100,000th new energy vehicle off the line in July. It is reported that the factory's first phase plans for an annual capacity of 150,000 to 200,000 units, with a long-term goal to expand to over 500,000 units, and plans to increase the localization procurement rate to 50% by early 2027.

Source: Chery Automobile

In Europe, Chery's layout is also of landmark significance. In June 2026, Chery and the Ebro Automobile Group started a new M1 production line at a joint factory operating in the Barcelona Free Trade Zone. The production line is 696 meters long, with 97 workstations, and a single vehicle production cycle of about 75 minutes. Rafael Ruiz, President of the Ebro Automobile Group, stated that the company chose Chinese enterprises as technical partners, intending to "introduce new technologies and industrial experience in the automotive field into Spain and convert them into local industrial capabilities and employment opportunities".

From product exports to the localization of capacity, brand, and supply chains, full-chain localization is becoming an inevitable path for Chinese automotive exports from the "first half" to the "second half". This trend is summarized by the industry as "ecosystem export". Under the drive of new energy and intelligent technology advantages, the form of Chinese automotive exports is changing: complete vehicle enterprises take the lead in laying out overseas capacity, supply chain enterprises follow suit, and overseas warehouses and after-sales service networks for components are also being perfected simultaneously.

Product export is just the first step. Full localization of capacity, brand, and supply chain is the key to determining whether Chinese automobiles can truly take root overseas.

Based on the export scale of 5.096 million units in the first half, breaking 10 million units for the year is inevitable. According to international professional agencies, Chinese automotive export volume in 2026 will increase by 41% year-on-year to 10 million units, becoming the first country in the world to export 10 million vehicles, equivalent to about 2.5 times the export volume of Japanese automobiles.

Conclusion

Looking back at 2021, Chinese automotive exports were less than $35 billion, merely an unremarkable footnote in the international trade landscape. Five years later, just half a year has approached the hundred-billion-dollar level—$91.8 billion. Behind this is a systematic explosion of decades of accumulation in Chinese manufacturing, and a historical window for reshuffling the global industrial landscape.

But beneath the halo of numbers, structural concerns are also clearly visible. The "gap" between components and complete vehicles, the comprehensive convergence of trade barriers, and the real test of localization capabilities—each is a threshold that cannot be bypassed. From "trade export" to "industry export", from "scale expansion" to "value deep cultivation", this road has just been paved, but is far from flat.

$91.8 billion is not only a report card but also an entry ticket. For Chinese automobiles to truly go from "big" to "strong", the decisive chapter is yet to come.