China Boosts Exports By 31% In First Half With 2.79 Million Vehicles

China broke through in 2023 to become the world’s largest vehicle exporter, and this year, it has widened its lead, leaving Japan in its dust and proving that the era of Chinese cars is well and truly upon us.

Data from the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association reveals that during the first six months of the year, its total vehicle exports reached 2.02 million. That’s a slight 0.3% decline year over year and consisted of 1.83 million passenger vehicles and approximately 187,000 commercial vehicles. More than making up for the slightly reduced number of Japanese vehicles reaching global markets was China.

Read: Unprecedented Global Demand For Chinese Cars Outstrips Shipping Capacity

During the January-June period, manufacturers from China exported more than 2.79 million vehicles. This represents an impressive 31% increase, and consisted of 2.34 million passenger vehicles and 450,000 commercial vehicles, Auto News reports.

Interestingly, while many exclusively associate new and innovative BEVs and other electrified vehicles with Chinese car brands, these only made up a minority of China’s exported vehicles, totaling 605,000 vehicles. By comparison, 2.19 million vehicles built in China and sent overseas were more traditional combustion-powered vehicles.

The nation’s five largest vehicle exporters consisted of Chery Automobile, SAIC Motor Corp, Changan Automobile Co, Geely Automobile Holdings, and BYD. Chery easily led the way with 532,000 exports, placing it ahead of SAIC with 439,000, Changan with 285,000, Geely with 242,000, and BYD, which exported 207,000 vehicles in the first half.

In 2023, Chinese car brands exported approximately 5.26 million vehicles and, in the process, snatched the crown away from Japan as the world’s largest vehicle exporter. If China’s strong first half continues into the July-December period, it could end the year having exported more than 5.58 million vehicles.