The 2026 World New Energy Vehicle Congress was recently held in Haikou, Hainan. Participating leaders and experts agreed that, after years of policy nurturing and technological accumulation, the global new energy vehicle (NEV) industry has moved past the policy-driven introduction and growth phases and formally entered a new stage of market-led, widespread adoption and high-quality iteration. Driven by the deep integration of electrification, intelligence and connectivity, and reinforced by the global green and low-carbon transition, the industry is undergoing a systematic and structural upgrade.
Wan Gang, honorary chairman of the China Association for Science and Technology and chairman of the World New Energy Vehicle Congress, said that in the first half of 2026 global NEV sales reached 11.234 million units, up 14% year on year, with market penetration rising to 24%. Cumulative global NEV sales have surpassed 94 million units, of which China accounts for more than 62 million, confirming China's core position in the global market.
Zhou Hua, deputy general manager of China Automotive Technology and Research Center, noted that in the first eight months of 2026 China's NEV sales reached 10.65 million units, with penetration climbing to 52.4%, and exports surged to 3.435 million units, up 124% — exports have become the core engine driving industry growth. The industry is accelerating its shift from simple product export toward an all-round internationalization model of overseas plant building, technology export and ecosystem going global.
Guo Shougang, director of the First Equipment Industry Department at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said China's NEV development meets global consumers' product and service needs while providing an industrial-chain backbone for other countries' electrification transitions. Ralf Brandstätter, CEO of Volkswagen Group China, described China as a global NEV innovation highland with advantages in policy, supply chain and charging infrastructure, while BMW's Jochen Goller pointed to intensifying competition and profit pressure.
Industry observers noted that as trade protectionism rises and the global electrification transition becomes irreversible, the industry faces both opportunity and challenge. By 2030 global NEV penetration is expected to exceed 40%, and China's innovation vitality continues to lead global product iteration cycles.
Source: China Economic Net / Economic Information Daily / Science and Technology Daily
