In July, China’s auto exports hit another record: a more important signal behind the 694,000-unit export volume was the 225,000-unit contribution of new-energy vehicles, which surged 120 percent year-on-year.
Against the backdrop of declining exports of traditional fuel vehicles, new energy vehicles have become the absolute main force driving China’s auto export growth.
Data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) showed that exports of traditionally fueled vehicles fell 4.3 percent year-on-year in July, while exports of new-energy vehicles rose 120 percent year-on-year.
Between this increase and decrease, the kinetic energy conversion of Chinese cars going overseas has been completed, and Chinese electric cars are rewriting the rules of global competition.
Leader BYD: nearly 80,000 vehicles exported in a single month
In the new energy export camp, BYD topped the list with an absolute advantage of 78,364 units, accounting for nearly 37% of the total . This achievement allowed BYD to overtake the former dominant Tesla China in the overseas market and become the new export champion.
From January to April this year, BYD’s new energy vehicle exports have reached 138,000 units, surpassing Tesla China’s 119,000 units.
Technology breakthrough: from certification following to standard setting
The core breakthrough of China’s new energy vehicle overseas lies in the opening of international standard certification system. The power battery has passed the EU ECE R100.03 crash safety certification, and the intelligent driving system meets the UN ECE ALKS regulations, which shortens the cycle of EU certification by 40%.
BYD’s blade batteries help ATTO 3 models receive five-star Euro NCAP safety ratings and sell more than 120,000 units in Europe by 2024 thanks to its advantages in grouping efficiency.
China’s super-charging network layout, so that the charging speed into the “minutes of the era”, high-voltage platform models can be completed in 10-15 minutes from 10% to 80% of the power to replenish energy.
市场多元化：中东崛起，东南亚成热土
The Middle East market became the core market for China’s incremental automobile exports in 2025. Data for the first half of the year show that Middle Eastern countries such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia occupy an important position among the top 10 countries in China’s vehicle exports.
In Brazil, China’s new energy vehicles in the imported electric car market share has reached 91.4% . Southeast Asia is becoming a hot spot for Chinese new energy vehicles to go overseas. PricewaterhouseCoopers data show that the share of electric vehicles in the passenger car market in six Southeast Asian countries has grown from 9% in 2023 to 13% in 2024, and is expected to reach 30% in 2030 .
BYD, SAIC and Nezha have laid out their production bases in Thailand and Indonesia, and the proportion of localized production has increased to 40%.
Challenges and the future: breaking through the barriers
Trade barriers in the European and American markets continue to increase. The European Union has imposed a five-year countervailing tariff on Chinese-made electric vehicles at a rate as high as 40%, and the United States has raised the tariff rate on new energy electric vehicles from 25% to 100%. These measures have significantly increased the export cost and time cost of Chinese automobile enterprises. In the face of challenges, Chinese car companies choose to localize production to break the game.
BYD is building a factory in Hungary, Ningde Times is investing 7.3 billion euros in Hungary to build a 100GWh battery factory, and Azera is establishing a Smart Driving R&D center in Berlin. SAIC and Great Wall Motor have also selected sites in Europe to build factories, effectively avoiding trade barriers and reducing transportation costs.
At the same time, China’s new energy vehicles have begun to participate in global rule-making. When BYD’s DM hybrid system was introduced by Toyota, when the battery technology of the Ningde era output to Tesla, China is from the “global factory” metamorphosis for “technology definer” . China’s new energy vehicles overseas has entered a new stage of “quality and quantity”. From product output to standard output, from price competition to technology premium, China’s auto industry globalization road is rewriting the power pattern of the auto industry for a century.
