Japan is no longer the king of car exports.
As predicted by experts, as many Chinese automakers expand production and distribution to foreign markets, China has officially overtaken Japan to become the world's largest automobile exporter in the first quarter of 2023.
According to data from the General Administration of Customs of China, the country exported 1.07 million cars in the first quarter of 2023. This is an increase of 58.3% compared to the same period last year. This is the first time that the country has surpassed the two leading countries in the world's auto industry, Germany and Japan, to take the top spot.
China's total auto exports in the first quarter of 2023 reached 7.67 trillion yuan, up 10.6% year-on-year, and auto exports now play an important role in the country's foreign trade structure.
According to China Media Group, Shanghai's Waigaoqiao Port exported a total of 231,000 vehicles to Europe, Southeast Asia, South America and Africa in the first quarter of 2023, accounting for 40% of vehicle exports.
Accordingly, the output of new energy vehicles accounts for the majority of vehicles exported abroad, reaching 100,000 units in April 2023, 8.4 times higher than the same period in 2022.
 |
China's second-largest car exporter is about to enter the Vietnamese market with the Omoda 5. Photo: Chery. |
SAIC is currently the leading brand in China's auto export industry with 313,000 successful vehicles exported in the first quarter of 2023. This is followed by China's Chery with 244,000 vehicles sold.
According to Reuters, China's success is partly due to the fact that it has a near monopoly on exporting and distributing cars to Russia, with many other car companies withdrawing from this market. If the current situation continues, Chinese carmakers will account for 35% of car sales in Russia by the end of this year.
Before 2020, the volume of cars exported from China was usually around 1 million units per year. However, after 2021, this number has increased significantly.
In 2022, China surpassed Germany to become the world's second-largest auto exporter. Figures from the General Administration of Customs of China show that China exported 3.22 million vehicles in 2022, up 56.8% year-on-year, while Germany exported only 2.61 million vehicles.
