ECG — 2025-11-14
News from ECG
New vehicle exports from China have hit 4.95 million units in the first 9 months of 2025 marking an annual increase of 14.8%, as per data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM).
In the month of September alone a total of 652,000 units were exported, marking a new monthly record and beating the August volume of 611,000 units.
On a quarterly basis, the volume in the Q3 period is now at 1.8 million units and up 17.36% y/y. The Q2 quarter saw volume of 1.6 million, which was up 12.9% while the Q1 quarter saw exports of 1.4 million units up 7.3%. So it will be interesting to see whether the final quarter of the year will continue with the upward trend.
By Fuel Type
Analysis of the type of vehicles exported from China shows that 64.8% of the total volume are internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles or 3.18 million units. While this is the overriding majority the share of NEV or new energy vehicle exports from China is growing.
In the first nine months of the year a total of 1.7 million NEVs were exported from China marking a 35% marketshare of the total, which is 48% more than the volume a year ago.
By PV or CV
Overall passenger cars continue to be the main type of vehicles exported from China, with 4.17 million units exported in the January to September period. Passenger cars therefore account for 84% of exports. Meanwhile commercial vehicles account for 15.9% of exports with volume of 790,000 units so far this year.
NEV exports-PV or CV?
Of the total 1.7 million NEVs exported from China, the vast majority or 96% are passenger cars.
Of the total NEVs exported from China, the type of NEVs are predominantly battery electric vehicles (BEV) accounting for 1.13 million units while plug in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) account for 628,000 units.
Top Exporters
The top exporter company in the January to September time frame is Chery Automobile which counts brands such as Jaecoo and Omoda amongst its offerings. In total Chery has exported 936,000 units in the January to September period, ahead of BYD which counts BYD and the Yangwang as well as Denza in its portfolio. BYD has exported 705,000 units. SAIC, which owns MG and Maxus, has exported 680,000 units. In fourth place is Changan with 465,000 units and in fifth place is Geely with 423,000 units. Tesla comes in at 9th place with 174,000 units.
Imports Vs Exports
Meanwhile the reverse scenario shows a 35% decline in imports of cars into China with just 368,000 cars imported in the January to September timeframe.
Top 10 Destinations
So far this year, the top 10 destinations for exports of new vehicles from China are led by Mexico (410,739 units) marking a 16% y/y increase. In second place is UAE with 367,796 units up 59%. In third is Russia with 357,708 units, down 58%. In fourth is Belgium with 233,748 units up 7%. In fifth is the UK with 224,590 units, up 49%.
In sixth position is Saudi Arabia with 223,963 units up 21%, followed by Australia with 223,370 up 68%. While in eighth place is Brazil with 218,146 units, in ninth is the Philippines with 196,676 units and in tenth place is Kazakhstan with 147,047 units up 75% and taking Spain’s place in the top 10 rankings.
NEV Export Destinations
Belgium continues to lead as the main destination for NEV exports from China, with volume up 9% to 223,532 units. The second NEV destination is the Philippines with 155,386 units up 84%. Meanwhile the UK is the third top volume destination for NEV exports from China, with 153,265 units in the January to September timeframe, up 60% compared to the same period a year ago.
ECG Members can see the full report here.