Do you remember how Top Gear reviewed Chinese cars 12 years ago?
Back then, Jeremy and James test-drove models like the GAC Trumpchi, Roewe 350, and BYD F0 in Beijing, and their assessment was: “They look okay, but they drive terribly.”
But at the end of the program, they predicted: “Five years ago, Chinese people could only build tricycles; now they can build cars like this. Who could imagine what Chinese cars will be like in five years?”
Looking back now, those once-mocked “knock-off cars” have long since transformed into a formidable force of Chinese gasoline-powered vehicles, dominating overseas markets.
If the “three musketeers” were to test drive them today, how interesting would their expressions be? From being ridiculed to being overtaken, Chinese cars only took ten years.
And today, in this era of the loudest calls for electrification, Chinese-made gasoline-powered cars are staging a “silent counterattack” overseas.
Fiercely Set Sail
Data shows that since 2020, three out of every four vehicles exported by China have been gasoline-powered cars. Gasoline-powered vehicles are indeed making significant strides in overseas markets.
Data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers shows that in 2021, China exported 2.015 million vehicles, of which 1.705 million were gasoline-powered cars, accounting for 84.6%. In 2022, vehicle exports reached 3.111 million vehicles, with gasoline-powered vehicles increasing to 2.342 million, accounting for 78.2%.
In 2023, exports of new traditional gasoline-powered vehicles reached 3.707 million units, accounting for 75.4% of total exports. In 2024, exports of traditional fuel vehicles reached 4.574 million units, accounting for 78.1%. Moreover, from January to November this year, among the top 10 passenger vehicle exporters in China, besides BYD and Tesla, the other eight mainly sold gasoline-powered vehicles, making them the undisputed main export force.
However, industry statistics show that Chery stands out particularly in gasoline-powered vehicle exports. Media reports indicate that Chery’s vehicle exports reached 1.199 million units from January to November 2025, with new energy vehicles accounting for approximately 30%. Based on this, it is estimated that its exports of gasoline-powered vehicles were around 800,000 units.
SAIC exported 969,000 vehicles during the same period, with new energy vehicles accounting for approximately 45%, and gasoline-powered vehicles accounting for approximately 500,000 units.
Sales of gasoline-powered vehicles remain strong in second-tier markets such as Eastern Europe, Latin America, and Africa. Data from JATO Dynamics shows that in the first half of this year, Chinese automakers accounted for nearly 16% of the South African car market, compared to 10% in the same period last year.
Nearly 30,000 gasoline-powered vehicles were sold, while only 11 electric vehicles were sold. The situation is similar in Chile. The local automotive industry association states that Chinese gasoline-powered vehicles now account for nearly one-third of the local market.
Traditional brands such as Chevrolet, Nissan, and Volkswagen saw sales decline by 34% to 45% in the country last year. Some traditional automakers say they are prepared to meet the challenge.
Volkswagen’s South America head, Alexander Seitz, said he has “no fear” of the Chinese. “I respect them as competitors,” he said. “They welcome them to the party.” In response to Chinese competition, Volkswagen is planning to export more cars produced in China to overseas markets.
A General Motors spokesperson referred to CEO Mary Barra’s remarks in October, stating that the company aims to compete with Chinese rivals “with the right technology and the right cost.”
02 The Truth Behind the Frenzy of Domestic Gasoline Cars Overseas
Why are Chinese gasoline-powered cars selling like hotcakes overseas amid global electrification?
Despite the high level of interest in electric vehicles, widespread adoption still faces real bottlenecks for ordinary consumers in most countries and regions worldwide—especially Southeast Asia, the Middle East, South America, and Russia.
In these areas, charging stations are scarce, electricity prices are unstable, and consumers prioritize reliability, convenience, and accessibility.
Gasoline-powered cars, on the other hand, offer mature technology and convenient refueling, making them the undisputed mainstream choice.
Chinese gasoline-powered cars have perfectly filled this largest segment of the market.
Besides a strong market presence, Chinese gasoline-powered cars possess an unparalleled advantage over other automakers—their cost-effectiveness. For ordinary foreign families, buying a car is a significant expense.
Chinese gasoline-powered cars, however, are like “all-around geniuses”—for the same amount of money, you can buy a larger car with more features.
Overseas, many families have discovered a secret of “consumption upgrade”: the money that would have been spent on a basic Toyota or Volkswagen can now buy a fully equipped Chinese car.
For example, in Saudi Arabia, the money for a basic Nissan Sylphy can buy a top-of-the-line MG7.
The Nissan Sylphy has a 1.6L naturally aspirated engine (113 horsepower), while the MG7 offers a more powerful 1.5T turbocharged engine (185 horsepower).
More importantly, the MG7 surpasses its class in intelligent and safety features, offering a 360-degree panoramic camera, panoramic sunroof, keyless entry, LED headlights, and four airbags, features often lacking in similarly priced Sylphy versions.
This “high-spec at the same price” strategy is one of the most direct and effective ways to enter the market.
In the Thai market, the Haval H6 adopted a “differentiated” approach. Its starting price is nearly 100,000 RMB lower than the CR-V, placing it directly into a lower-tier competitive segment.
However, it didn’t cut corners. Instead, it packed in features comparable to higher-level models within its price range: a large central control screen as standard across the entire range, an advanced hybrid system, and the cost advantages of local production.
Simply put, the Haval H6’s strategy is: “I’m offering more features in your next-tier segment than in your higher-tier segment, for less money.”
This doesn’t attract die-hard CR-V fans, but rather potential buyers with limited budgets but higher expectations for technology and space.
Behind this disruptive value experience lies the solid support of a comprehensive upgrade of China’s automotive industry chain. Not long ago, “Made in China” cars were often labeled as “cheap and unreliable.”
But today, Chinese automakers aspiring to go global proactively choose to manufacture vehicles according to the most stringent standards (such as European safety crash tests), ensuring their safety and reliability have passed the test of the international market.
Today, major Chinese automakers such as Great Wall, Chery, Geely, and SAIC (MG) have successfully upgraded from simply exporting products to establishing production bases in key markets such as Thailand, Brazil, and Russia.
This overseas manufacturing strategy is not only about reducing tariffs and logistics costs, but also about deeply integrating into the market, responding quickly to demands, and effectively circumventing trade barriers by building localized supply chains.
At the same time, Chinese automakers are systematically building local sales and after-sales networks, shifting from “one-off sales” to providing long-term, reliable service guarantees, allowing overseas car owners to truly enjoy worry-free car ownership, thereby establishing sustainable global competitiveness.
It is worth noting that some joint venture brands have also achieved success both domestically and internationally by leveraging the advantages of Chinese manufacturing.
Companies like Beijing Hyundai and Yueda Kia have transformed their Chinese factories into global export bases, making exports a new growth engine.
For example, Yueda Kia’s exports accounted for nearly 70% of its total sales last year. Their secret lies in cleverly combining China’s manufacturing advantages with their parent company’s global network.
On the one hand, they leverage China’s efficient and low-cost supply chain to produce highly cost-effective “global cars”; on the other hand, backed by the Hyundai-Kia Group’s mature global sales channels, they can quickly sell their cars overseas.
However, Zhang Xiang, Secretary-General of the International Intelligent Transportation Technology Association and researcher at the Automotive Industry Innovation Research Center of North China University of Technology, also admitted that compared with international brands, Chinese automakers still lag behind in brand awareness and production and sales scale.
For example, companies like Toyota and Volkswagen achieve economies of scale through the global market, while Chinese automakers currently focus primarily on the domestic market, with a relatively low proportion of overseas exports (except for Chery, whose exports exceed 50%, the proportion for other brands remains small).
03 In conclusion
The story of Chinese gasoline-powered vehicles going global is a silent yet solid “reverse journey.” Beyond the narrative of rapid electrification, these vehicles, with their mature and reliable performance, are heading towards a vast market where charging infrastructure is not yet widespread and user demand is pragmatically urgent.
This is not merely the export of products, but a systemic evolution of Chinese manufacturing from “cost-effectiveness” to “quality-price ratio,” and from “selling cars” to “establishing a foothold.”
Ten years ago, a Top Gear host, after test-driving a Chinese car, commented, “It looks okay, but it drives terribly.” Today, in overseas markets, Chinese gasoline-powered vehicles have won the recognition of consumers from Saudi Arabia to Thailand, from Chile to South Africa, thanks to their pragmatic choice of “fully equipped and reliable driving.”
As Zhang Xiang stated, Chinese automakers still lag behind in brand influence and global scale, but with the advantages of a complete industrial chain and the strategic advancement of the “Belt and Road” initiative, Chinese gasoline-powered vehicles are transforming their dual advantages of cost and technology into sustainable global competitiveness.
While facing the pressure and challenges of overall market transformation in the future, they have forged their own growth path in a vast market where “real demand outweighs technological imagination.” The narrative of the global automotive industry has never been singular. While some gaze towards an electric future, others are gripping the steering wheel of gasoline, heading towards their real and concrete daily lives.
