Car exports maintain strong momentum in April

As the country's auto industry further deepens its global footprint, China's automobile exports maintained strong momentum in April, driven by steady shipments of new energy vehicles and accelerated overseas expansion by major domestic carmakers.

China exported around 901,000 vehicles in April, up 74.4 percent year-on-year, including 430,000 NEVs, whose exports more than doubled from a year earlier, according to data released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers on Monday.

Chen Shihua, deputy secretary-general of the association, said vehicle exports have continued to grow rapidly this year, providing stable support for the broader auto industry. Chen added that the NEV market has maintained steady momentum, with NEVs accounting for 53.2 percent of total new vehicle sales in April.

The export growth comes as Chinese NEV makers continue to play a contributing role in the global market. Data from the China Passenger Car Association show that Chinese brands accounted for 61 percent of the global new energy passenger vehicle market in the first quarter.

"Although lower than the 68 percent peak recorded in 2025, the figure still reflects the country's leading position worldwide," said Cui Dongshu, secretary-general of the CPCA.

The association said the top 10 overseas markets for Chinese NEV exports in the first quarter were Brazil, Belgium, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, Italy, Australia, Germany, Thailand, Spain and South Korea. South America, Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia emerged as the main sources of incremental growth.

The rapid rise of Chinese NEVs, combined with elevated global fuel prices, is accelerating the global shift toward greener consumption solutions. According to CPCA data, the global penetration rate of NEVs continued to rise, reaching 20.2 percent in the first quarter.

The growing demand is also reflected in overseas consumer markets. According to a report by The Straits Times, inquiries for electric vehicles priced below 30,000 euros ($35,241) on Germany's major automotive marketplace Mobile.de jumped 87 percent since early March.

Meanwhile, in the UK, demand for used electric vehicles also surged. Data from Autotrader, the country's largest automotive marketplace, show that inquiries for EVs aged between five and seven years tripled in April compared with a year earlier, significantly outpacing interest in newer and more expensive models.

Against this backdrop, leading Chinese automakers are accelerating their overseas expansion, with the focus transferring from simply exporting products to building localized industrial ecosystems.

BYD is advancing production projects in Hungary and Malaysia, while Chery Automobile recently launched its first overseas regional operation center in Barcelona, Spain. XPeng also said it plans to expand overseas manufacturing capacity this year, targeting markets including Europe, Southeast Asia and Latin America.

At the same time, carmakers are stepping up overseas research and development plans. Xiaomi Auto has identified Europe as its first major overseas market, while Leapmotor and Geely have recently expanded engineering and innovation operations in Germany and other parts of Europe to support long-term global growth.