In 2024, China’s passenger car exports will achieve another record with a huge scale of 4.96 million units, a year-on-year increase of 21.4%. Behind this figure is the rapid expansion of market coverage – two-thirds of the world’s auto market has opened the door to cooperation with Chinese brands. The accumulation of quantitative changes has finally led to the reshaping of the pattern of qualitative change, and the global market share of Chinese auto brands has climbed to 22%. What is particularly remarkable is that BYD and Geely, as representatives of China’s power, have ranked among the top ten car companies in the world in terms of sales. These are not isolated events, but a confirmation of the coordinate displacement of China’s automobile industry in the global coordinate system, and the competitive landscape of the global auto market has undergone deep evolution.
Panorama of Chinese car companies going overseas: scale jump，Global layout
According to the narrow passenger car export data of the Passenger Car Association, China’s automobile exports in the first five months of 2025 will be 1.988 million units, a year-on-year increase of 7.4%, and China’s automobile industry has moved from the main battlefield of the domestic market to global competition, which is not only reflected in the growth of sales, but also in the innovation of models and the depth of global layout.
In the face of increasingly stringent localization regulations in various countries, the overseas KD (loose part assembly) model has become a key strategy for Chinese car companies to break the game, which effectively avoids high vehicle tariffs and local production barriers. occupyGasso Automotive Research InstituteAccording to the relevant data of China’s passenger car exports, in 2024, China’s passenger car KD exports will be about 1 million units, accounting for about 20% of the overall exports. In 2024, China accounted for 80% of the world’s new energy vehicles, and in the first quarter of this year, the proportion of new energy exports of passenger cars increased from 31.4% last year to 38.4%.
From the perspective of export structure, the growth rate of pure electric vehicles (BEVs) has slowed down due to trade barriers in some regions, while plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and extended-range models have shown a growth trend with lower user conversion thresholds and relatively few policy restrictions, and are gradually becoming a new engine for export growth.
On the global track, Chinese car companies have shown different development trends. As the “evergreen” of China’s automobile exports, Chery’s export volume in 2024 will be 1.145 million units, which is already Chery’s 22nd consecutive year of Chinese brand passenger car export championship, and in the first five months of this year, Chery has produced a total of 444,000 units and continues to sit firmly in the top spot.
BYD is growing at an astonishing rate, with overseas sales exceeding 470,000 units in the first half of 2025, exceeding its overseas sales of more than 50,000 units in 2024, a year-on-year increase of 80.6%. With pure electric and plug-in hybrid dual-line strength, BYD has achieved explosive growth in key emerging markets, such as Brazil is becoming an important player in it, and in May 2025, BYD’s automotive market share in Brazil will reach 9.7%, ranking fourth among brand retail. From 2022 to 2024, BYD’s sales in Brazil jumped from 260 units to more than 76,000 units. At present, BYD’s self-built fleet “Pioneer” series has 7 giant ships, which will be expanded to 8 by 2026, with a total loading capacity of 67,000 vehicles and an annual capacity of more than one million vehicles, providing guarantee for overseas transportation.
Relying on its mature “global + local” combination strategy, SAIC’s overseas sales in the first half of this year were 494,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 1.3%, and overseas sales have exceeded 6 million units. Despite the EU countervailing duty challenge, its main brand MG is still resilient in the European market, with terminal deliveries of more than 150,000 units in the first half of 2025, achieving double-digit growth.
Geely is also accelerating the process of globalization and showing a systematic promotion trend, with cumulative overseas sales of more than 180,000 units in the first half of this year, of which overseas sales exceeded 40,000 in June, a year-on-year increase of 12%. As of 2024, Geely’s global service network covers more than 900 outlets in more than 80 countries, and has launched its high-end main models in key markets such as Saudi Arabia and Kazakhstan. While stabilizing the European market, its Lynk & Co and Zeekr brands are also accelerating the development of Hong Kong, Macao and the Asia-Pacific market, and supporting the output charging network.
In addition to traditional independent brands, new car-making forces are also joining the global competition with a more flexible attitude. According to official data from Leapmotor, its cumulative exports from January to May 2025 exceeded 17,200 units, ranking first among China’s new power brands. In April last year, Leapmotor and Stellantis, a world-renowned automaker, jointly established Leapmotor International, which has become a strong boost to Leapmotor’s journey overseas, helping Leapmotor complete its launch in nine European countries in just a few months, and quickly enter the Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, Africa and South America, as of June this year, Leapmotor has exceeded 1,500 global stores, including more than 600 overseas.
Image source: @小鹏汽车
In the first half of 2025, Xpeng Motors’ overseas sales will be 18,700 units, a year-on-year increase of 217%, and it will rank first in sales of new forces in 10 countries including Ireland and the Netherlands. In February this year, Xpeng Motors’ official Weibo posted that “Xpeng Motors has become a benchmark for new forces going overseas”, and in 2024, Xpeng Motors will rank first in the export volume of China’s new power brands. In Xpeng’s view, 2025 is the year of accelerating internationalization, and it plans to enter more than 60 countries and establish more than 300 outlets. At present, Xpeng Motors’ strong label, high-end assisted driving technology, is also preparing for overseas landing.
NIO adheres to its high-end positioning route and plans to further expand the European market in 2025-2026, and will launch a number of models in Portugal, Greece, Denmark and other countries through the national general agent model, including NIO EL6, EL8, ET5, ET5 Touring and firefly firefly models. In addition, it also has a layout in the Middle East and North Africa. 、
As early as 2023, Li Xiang, CEO of Li Auto, issued an article saying that it would not do overseas markets before 2025, and now it has come to the time node of 2025, and Li Auto has announced the official opening of overseas markets this year at the 2024 earnings call, and identified internationalization and overseas markets as one of the core strategies of Li Auto in 2025.
Overseas mode upgrade: from selling cars to building overseas factories & technology output
With the further deepening of globalization, Chinese auto brands are no longer limited to sales themselves, and are developing from the early single trade model to the stage of overseas factory construction, joint ventures with overseas car companies, and reverse technology export.
Overseas factory construction and joint venture companies can not only reduce tariffs and logistics costs, but also directly reach the real needs of overseas customers, seek new incremental markets, improve brand promotion and after-sales service, and participate more deeply in international competition. Reverse technology output has changed Chinese car companies from technology recipients to exporters.
In April last year, Chery and Spain’s EV MOTORS officially signed a cooperation agreement to jointly establish its first joint venture factory in Europe, and have rolled off the first product – EBRO S700 at the end of November. Chery is accelerating its global layout, following factories in Thailand and Brazil, Chery plans to invest in Vietnam between 2025 and 2026, and it is reported that Chery plans to invest about 20 trillion VND to build a factory in Vietnam, which is expected to be completed in 2026.
In Southeast Asia, the Thailand factory was completed and put into operation in July last year, and the Indonesian factory is expected to be completed by the end of this year; In Europe, the Hungarian plant is expected to start production by the end of this year, and the Turkish plant is also scheduled to start production by the end of 2026. Earlier this month, BYD’s passenger car factory in Camasari, Brazil, ushered in its first car off the production lineCapacity150,000 units, mainly used for the production of pure electric and plug-in hybrid models. In the future, BYD plans to have an overseas forward production capacity of more than 2 million vehicles.
BYD exports not only vehicles, but also includes the energy ecology of “battery factory + charging network + energy storage system”, such as promoting the integration of optical storage and charging in Chile and building a battery base in Hungary.
In April, at the 2025 Shanghai Auto Show, SAIC Motor officially released its overseas strategy 3.0 – “Glocal Strategy”, which is a “global + local” innovative development strategy, marking a new stage in SAIC’s globalization process. In the next three years, SAIC will rely on electric intelligent technology to launch 17 new overseas models, covering all categories. In terms of regional layout, it will upgrade the overseas smart cabin ecology and promote the localization of L2 intelligent driving functions.
Image source: SAIC
In May 2023, SAIC CP Automobile Co., Ltd., a joint venture between SAIC Motor and CP Group, a well-known Thai multinational group, laid the foundation stone for the construction of the SAIC CP New Energy Industrial Park in Chonburi Province in eastern ThailandNew energy vehiclesLocalized production of key components and completed in 2025.
Geely Automobile’s overseas manufacturing network is also continuing to expand, as early as 2017, Geely’s first overseas factory in Belarus has been put into operation, and at present, Geely plans to build a new factory in Thailand, which is expected to start in 2025 and put into operation in 2026, which is mainly used for the production of Lynk & Co models in the early stage.
In February this year, Geely Holding and Renault Brazil signed a framework agreement under which the two parties will expand their strategic cooperation in the development and production of zero-emission and low-emission vehicles through Renault Brazil, which has obtained localized production, service networks, etc. by becoming a minority shareholder of Renault Brazil. According to reports, it is expected that by the end of this year, Geely will have more than 1,100 global outlets, and will achieve growth of more than 15.6% in overseas markets. In its next plan, it will also implement localized manufacturing in Indonesia, Vietnam, Central Asia, Africa and other markets in the future.
Compared with traditional car companies going overseas, the overseas characteristics of new power car companies have more obvious characteristics of “reverse technology output”, and Xpeng Motors and Leapmotor are examples of them.
Since announcing a strategic cooperation with the Volkswagen Group in 2023, the cooperation between the two sides has continued to deepen, and this cooperation has helped Xpeng become the export champion of new forces in 2024. For example, in the European market, Xpeng has successfully entered the Poland, Switzerland, Czech and Slovak markets, in addition, Xpeng has signed official agency cooperation agreements with Inchcape, a leading automobile distribution company, and Hedin Group, a well-known European dealer group.
Regarding the cooperation with Volkswagen, He Xiaopeng said: “The cooperation of ‘big’ and ‘small’ brings the best technology, the best products, and the best brands to the world. ”
Image source: Leapmotor
In the cooperation between Leapmotor and Stellantis Group, Leapmotor provides leading product technology, and Stellantis contributes its mature channel and service system throughout Europe, the Middle East and Latin America. Leapmotor has been able to localize the production of Leapmotor electric models with the help of Stellantis Group’s production and sales network in multiple markets around the world, and promote the rapid implementation of its products. For example, in April this year, Stellantis Group and Leapmotor announced that they will soon launch a localized assembly project in Malaysia, which is reported to be based on Stellantis Group’s existing Gurun plant in Kedah, Malaysia, and is expected to start localized production of Leapmotor C10 by the end of 2025.
Whether it is the deepening layout of traditional car companies or the technology of new car companies, it shows that China’s automobile industry is making a strong march on the track of globalization, and at the same time, it is also strongly driving the supply chain to go overseas, especially electrification and intelligent parts companies with technical advantages are collectively “going overseas”. According to relevant data from the Gasgoo Research Institute, power batteries have jumped to the largest single category of China’s auto parts exports, surpassing all traditional parts. More and more enterprises are choosing to rely on the advantages of the domestic supply chain to build China into a global R&D and manufacturing base.
Huge challenges remain: tariff barriers,“Stuck neck” game
For example, some car companies have burned the price war to Southeast Asia, triggering panic in the industry about the “motorcycle crash”, once, Chinese motorcycles quickly entered the Southeast Asian market at low prices, and won a huge share from Honda and Suzuki, but the disorderly price war has plunged the industry into intensifying disorderly competition, resulting in a quality trust crisis.
The leader of a domestic car company bluntly said that the cheap products brought overseas by the price war are affecting the local people’s overall impression of Chinese cars to deteriorate, causing them to resist and resist Chinese car brands indiscriminately – this reveals the deep crisis behind the soaring of Chinese cars going overseas.
Tariffs are the most direct “high wall”, especially the rapid momentum of new energy vehicles, which are suffering from unprecedented trade blockades. The United States vs. ChinaElectric vehicleTariffs on batteries and their components have risen to 100%, with the intention of completely locking the door; The EU has offered a differentiated punch, with BYD bearing a 17% tariff, SAIC Motor as high as 35.3%, and other companies that are not separately sampled face a 20.7% tax rate. The chill spread rapidly, followed by Canada, which also imposed 100% tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, and Brazil was also “not far behind”, announcing the resumption and annual increase in import tariffs on hybrid and pure electric models, reaching 35% by July 2026.
In addition to tariffs, a new wave of upgrading of fuel consumption regulations, new carbon emission regulations, localized production reshoring policies, and the “bottleneck” game around core technologies and resources have jointly woven a sophisticated and exclusive trade protection net. Technical barriers and policy barriers are intertwined, and artificially set up obstacles are constantly raising the cost of Chinese cars knocking on the door of overseas markets.
According to the Gasgoo Automotive Research InstituteforecastIn 2025, China’s domestic passenger car exports are expected to reach 5.3 million units, a year-on-year increase of about 7%, and by 2030, this number is expected to reach about 7 million units. Even in the face of internal and external crises, the globalization trend of China’s auto industry is still irreversible, and at present, in order to cope with the more severe competition in the global market, most domestic car companies are already deepening their overseas layout.
The leading car companies are steadily working with their scale and experience, and the new forces are expanding their territory with innovation and speed. From simply selling cars to technology output, production capacity layout, brand building and ecological construction, Chinese car companies are striving to occupy a more core position in the global automotive value chain. However, under the challenges of trade frictions, localization integration, cultural differences, and sustainable profitability, how to achieve true globalization and value enhancement while leaping in scale will be the key topic for Chinese car companies in the next stage of their overseas journey.
Epilogue:
If the globalization journey of Chinese automobiles is likened to a long voyage, then tariff barriers, technical barriers, brand recognition shortcomings, etc. are all unavoidable reefs, from being forced to adjust the course to firmly technology going overseas, deeply cultivating localization, and then to the layout of the future – Chinese automobiles are moving forward step by step.