CPCA Secretary-General Cui Dongshu said September China automobile imports totaled 21,000 units, down 49% year on year and 6% month on month, with the first three quarters at 290,000 units, down 20%, the New Energy Vehicle Daily reported on October 26, citing Cui's WeChat account and financial media.
Passenger cars made up over 99% of imports; in the first nine months, imported hybrids rose 15%, pure-electric passenger cars fell 27% and plug-in hybrids dropped 54%. September import-car retail was 29,000 units, down 39%. Japan led imports with 7,399 units, followed by Germany (7,255) and the UK (2,488).
Cui described demand for both domestic and imported luxury cars as broadly weak, with pressure concentrated in cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Chengdu and Shenzhen. The import peak was 1.43 million units in 2014, falling to 480,000 in 2025 — a structural decline as local production and NEVs substitute imports.
The data underscore how China's own auto industry, especially NEVs, is displacing previously imported segments, reversing the historical role of imported vehicles in the premium market.
Source: Cui Dongshu / Cailianshe / Zhitong Finance
