In the dead of night, the Horgos Highway Port in Xinjiang remains ablaze with light, rows upon rows of China-made vehicles lining up, poised to traverse borders and enter markets across the globe. This bustling scene is no anomaly; it is a powerful testament to the relentless expansion of China’s automotive industry onto the world stage. Data from Horgos Customs reveals that in 2024, the port exported 421,000 vehicles, a staggering year-on-year increase of 38.6%. As the largest land gateway for China’s vehicle exports, Horgos stands as a vivid symbol of this accelerating outward drive.
The figures are compelling. According to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), China exported 551,000 vehicles in May alone, marking a 6.6% increase from the previous month and a 14.5% surge compared to the same period last year. From January to May, total exports reached 2.49 million units, up 7.9% year-on-year. The standout performer? The new energy vehicle (NEV) sector. May saw the export of 212,000 NEVs, a remarkable 120% jump year-on-year, while the five-month tally hit 855,000 units, soaring by 64.6%.
“China’s automotive industry is currently operating with a steady and improving trend, with continuous of market vitality,” noted Chen Shihua, Deputy Secretary-General of CAAM. “The growth rate of vehicle exports in May showed a significant acceleration, with both sequential and year-on-year increases. The rapid growth of new energy vehicle exports is a major highlight and has bolstered the overall export performance.”
This expansion is not confined to a few familiar markets. Cui Dongshu, Secretary-General of the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA), analysis indicates that the top five countries by export volume growth in May were the United Arab Emirates, Mexico, Australia, the Philippines, and Kazakhstan. By 2025, the Middle East has emerged as a core market for incremental export growth.
“The pattern of China’s vehicle exports is evolving,” Cui explained. “It’s shifting from a previous structure where South-Central America accounted for a relatively high share, and other Asian regions like Southeast and South Asia showed strong performance, towards the current characteristic where South-Central America and the Middle East are demonstrating relative strength. Particularly recently, regions like the Middle East and South-Central America have performed notably stronger compared to last year.”
This global footprint expansion is the result of a confluence of factors, as highlighted by Liu Yan, a senior researcher at the China Automotive Strategy and Policy Research Center. “On one hand, the quality and brand building of Chinese-brand vehicles have seen progress, continuously enhancing the global competitiveness of the products,” Liu stated in an interview. “Relevant data shows that the industry’s average new vehicle quality PPH (Problems Per Hundred) was 153 in 2024, down from 181 in 2023, indicating an improvement in quality performance. Simultaneously, against the backdrop of global carbon neutrality goals, the worldwide automotive industry is accelerating its transition towards intelligence and electrification. Demand for electric vehicles is growing in both domestic and international consumer markets, with Asia and Latin America becoming new engines for global EV sales growth.”
The strategic response from Chinese automakers has moved beyond mere vehicle exports. A comprehensive globalisation strategy, deeply rooted in localisation, is now in full swing. BYD, a titan in the China EV car sector, exemplifies this approach. The company has announced the establishment of its European headquarters in Hungary, which will undertake three core functions: sales and after-sales, vehicle certification and testing, and localised model design and feature development. Furthermore, BYD’s factories in Thailand and Uzbekistan have already been completed and begun production, while manufacturing bases in Brazil and Hungary are slated to commence operations in the near future. “The development potential of overseas markets is enormous,” a BYD representative shared. “The export trend will continue to be positive, and we are very optimistic about this year’s performance in overseas markets.”
SAIC Motor is pursuing a similar path with its overseas strategy 3.0, the “Glocal Strategy” – a blend of ‘global’ and ‘local’. “For different markets, SAIC will launch different ‘going out’ strategies,” said Jia Jianxu, President of SAIC Motor. “In the Southeast Asian market, SAIC will deepen localised cooperation in ASEAN and prepare for the construction of KD (knock-down) factories. In the Latin American, Middle Eastern, Australian, and New Zealand markets, we will continuously deepen our local roots a comprehensive localisation strategy. In the African market, we will use Egypt, Morocco, and South Africa as strategic pivots, driving regional development through these key points.”
This outward push is not a solo endeavour by manufacturers. The entire automotive supply chain is strengthening its协同 to collectively shape the new of the global automotive market. Bai Hua, General Manager of the Solutions and Delivery Department at China Unicom’s Smart Connection Technology, emphasised the role of supporting industries. As a communications operator with deployments in numerous countries, Unicom is leveraging its advantages to partner with automakers in exploring localisation strategies abroad.
“Chinese independent brand vehicles have already achieved global leadership in the field of intelligence,” Bai noted. “However, the deployment and application of intelligent capabilities the support of communication systems. The new energy vehicle industry has entered a phase of deep localisation, which places higher demands on the collective of the automotive supply chain.” To meet these demands, Unicom Smart Connection Technology has established local teams in 41 countries, developing platforms for overseas operation management, communication management, cloud management, and telematics specifically tailored for Chinese automobile enterprises, addressing the customised needs of vehicle exports, particularly for intelligent vehicles.
Despite the impressive achievements, the journey is not without its challenges. Navigating diverse international landscapes, differing technical standards, and complex compliance systems requires robust multi-faceted cooperation.
Bai Hua believes that the globalisation of the automotive industry cannot be achieved by OEMs alone, drawing lessons from the paths of other nations. “It requires the integrated of the entire industrial chain. Chinese automobiles are the vanguard of the entire industrial chain’s global expansion. The industrial chain must go global in sync with the automakers, providing strong support and reliance for the development of Chinese automobiles overseas through coordinated layout arrangements, ultimately achieving a deep embrace between the Chinese automotive industry and the world.”
Liu Yan concurred, stating that overseas localisation is an inevitable choice as the internationalisation of China’s automotive industry reaches a certain maturity. “Facing challenges such as the current international situation and differences in technical standards and compliance systems, the Chinese automotive industry needs to further strengthen cooperation with local partners and continuously promote overseas localised development,” Liu advised. “Besides utilising local resources and mitigating trade risks through methods like technology licensing and joint venture factories, companies themselves need to thoroughly research the certification, access standards, and regulations of target markets. They must engage in product design and technology R&D adapted for localisation, actively participate in international and local standard-setting and technical exchange activities, promote the alignment of Chinese standards with international ones, and enhance their voice in the global automotive industry.”
The broader implications of this deep localisation were addressed by Zhang Yongwei, Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of the China EV100, at the 2025 Global New Energy Vehicle Cooperation and Development (Shanghai) Forum. He pointed out that the deep localised development of China’s automotive industry overseas will inevitably impact local economies, markets, industries, and other fields. In this new environment, how Chinese automotive industries, particularly enterprises, can better develop overseas is a key issue facing global cooperation in the automotive sector.
“The goal is to leverage China’s rich offering of hundreds of new models annually, coupled with its relatively complete incremental supply chain focused on new energy and intelligence, to achieve seamless connection with the global automotive market and the automotive industries of other countries,” Zhang Yongwei proposed. “On one hand, this allows China’s advantages to better empower the global automotive market and industry. On the other hand, it enables other countries and regions to rapidly develop their local automotive industries, even fostering their own indigenous automotive brands, thereby achieving resource complementarity and mutual benefit.”
The narrative of the China EV car industry is thus being rewritten. It is no longer just about shipping vehicles from bustling ports like Horgos; it is about embedding itself deeply into the fabric of global markets through strategic localisation, synergistic supply chain partnerships, and adaptive innovation. The relentless growth in exports, particularly the explosive rise of China EV car models, underscores a sector that is not only competing but aiming to lead and shape the future of global mobility. The journey involves complex challenges, from aligning standards to navigating geopolitical nuances, but the commitment to a collaborative, globally-integrated approach suggests that the embrace between China’s automotive industry and the world market is set to become ever tighter and more profound. The rise of the China EV car is a central theme in this transformation, symbolising both the current achievement and the future ambition of an industry in full stride towards global integration.