A China News Service dispatch from September 17 paints a picture of Chinese automakers' "go-global" push entering a deeper phase: selling whole vehicles abroad while also planting industrial capacity on foreign soil. Encountering a Chinese EV on a European street is "no longer a novelty," the report notes.
According to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, August auto exports reached 1.01 million units, up 65.3% year on year, with monthly exports holding above the 1-million mark for three consecutive months. In the first eight months, cumulative exports hit 7.153 million units, up 66.7%—already exceeding the full-year 2025 total of 7.098 million. Customs data echoed this, with auto export value up 47.1%.
NEV's share of total auto exports has exceeded 50% for three straight months, meaning one in every two Chinese vehicles exported is now electric. Supporting demand and China's complete NEV supply chain give its models a clear price-performance edge, while a Dataforce analysis cited by Germany's Handelsblatt shows Chinese brands rose to 8.7% of European new-car registrations in January–July, versus just 0.6% in the same 2021 period.
Beyond exports, Chinese firms are localizing production—BYD showcased NEVs at the Australia China Expo in Melbourne on September 10, part of a broader shift from "selling cars" to "rooting capability" overseas.
Source: China News Service
