(Yicai) Oct. 28 -- Anhui province has become China’s largest provincial-level region by automobile production in the first three quarters of this year, dethroning Guangdong province after nine years.

Anhui produced just over 2.4 million cars in the nine months ended Sept. 30, up 32 percent from a year earlier, surpassing Guangdong at 2.08 million, which experienced a 45 percent decline, according to recent data by the National Bureau of Statistics.

Anhui also led the country by new energy vehicle production in the first three quarters, which neared 1.22 million units, NBS data also showed. Guangdong followed with 730,200 units made in the period, a 68 percent drop from a year earlier.

This shift stems from a revised statistical approach, which now calculates production figures based on manufacturing location rather than corporate headquarters. Anhui is expected to maintain its leading position over Guangdong this year, cementing its status as the country’s top provincial-level region by auto production.

Anhui is home to seven major automakers, including BYD, Nio, Chery Automobile, and Volkswagen Anhui, as well as about 2,800 supply chain firms manufacturing parts for vehicles, batteries, electric motors, and intelligent driving systems.

After Anhui and Guangdong, 11 other Chinese provincial-level regions -- Chongqing, Shandong province, Jiangsu province, Zhejiang province, Shaanxi province, Shanghai, Hunan province, Jilin province, Beijing, Henan province, and Hubei province -- made more than one million cars in the first three quarters. Sichuan and Guangxi provinces each produced over 800,000 units.

This year, 15 provinces are expected to produce more than one million vehicles, up from 10 in 2022, 11 in 2023, and 12 in 2024.

Last year, the top 10 provincial-level regions by auto production were Guangdong, Anhui, Chongqing, Jiangsu, Shandong, Shanghai, Shaanxi, Zhejiang, Jilin, and Hubei, with the top three producing 5.71 million, 2.62 million, and 2.54 million vehicles, respectively.

Editor: Futura Costaglione