China’s Carmakers Lead the Pack as First-Half Auto Exports More Than Double
Zhang Yushuo
DATE:  Jul 27 2021
/ SOURCE:  Yicai
China’s Carmakers Lead the Pack as First-Half Auto Exports More Than Double China’s Carmakers Lead the Pack as First-Half Auto Exports More Than Double

(Yicai Global) July 27 -- China’s vehicle exports more than doubled in the first six months of this year, led by domestic producers such as SAIC Motor, Chery Automobile, and Changan Automobile.

China shipped 950,000 cars overseas in the first half, up 118 percent from a year earlier, according to a report by the China Passenger Car Association. Most were made by Chinese companies.

The top three exporters were SAIC, Chery, and Changan, while Tesla China ranked eighth, the report said, without providing exact figures.

Chinese automakers are not affected by the global chip shortage as much as foreign manufacturers and joint ventures because they are more flexible in buying chips, CPCA Secretary-General Cui Dongshu told Yicai Global. China’s vehicle exports also grew in part because of shutdowns in production overseas, he added.

The main destinations for China’s car exports so far this year were Chile, Saudi Arabia and Australia. Shipments to Iran, Mexico and Bangladesh fell a lot due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The main growth areas were Europe and South Asia.

China exported 174,000 new energy vehicles in the first half, accounting for 23 percent of the total, while NEVs make up only about 10 percent of new cars sold in the country. Almost half went to Europe, mostly to the UK, Belgium and Germany.

China exported more than one million autos last year, a 13 percent decline from 2019. Compared with 2020, exports this year have improved greatly and the potential for a further pickup is high, Cui said.

Editor: Futura Costaglione

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Keywords:   chip shortage,export