Industry data shows China's vehicle exports reached 8.205 million units in the first nine months of 2026, up 65.8% year on year and already surpassing the full-year 2025 total of 7.098 million, with the annual figure widely expected to exceed 10 million. NEV exports hit 4.006 million units, up 127.9%, and have accounted for more than half of total auto exports for four straight months since June.
At an industry conference, analysts said going-global has shifted from an 'option' to a core engine for offsetting soft domestic demand, upgrading from simple exports to localized production, channels and services. Geely reported Q1-Q3 exports of 798,000 units (+169%); BYD's Q3 NEV exports reached 550,700 units (+136.6%), with overseas sales surpassing 1.34 million in the first three quarters; Chery's Q1-Q3 exports hit 1.499 million (+66.3%), with October marking its third monthly export above 200,000 this year.
