(Yicai) Jan. 16 -- The southwestern municipality of Chongqing has returned to the top of China’s vehicle production rankings after a nine-year hiatus, fueled by the electric vehicle boom, according to the latest data.

Chongqing manufactured 2.78 million cars last year, the most of any city in the country, the Economy and Information Technology Commission of Chongqing said recently. It represented a jump of 9.7 percent from the year before.

New energy vehicles played a big role in this achievement with production surging 36 percent year on year to 1.29 million units.

Chongqing, which was "China's Car Capital" for three consecutive years from 2014 to 2016, ousts Shenzhen which took the top spot in 2024 with 2.93 million NEVs. However, changes in statistical methods mean that this high point is now in the past.

Southern Guangdong province manufactured 2.71 million autos from January to November 2025, reflecting a year-on-year growth of 0.1 percent, according to the latest data released by the Guangdong Provincial Bureau of Statistics. This indicates that Shenzhen no longer possesses the scale needed to compete for the top position on its own.

Last year, Chongqing's auto industry growth was driven by established players such as state-owned enterprise Changan Automobile and rising stars like Seres Group.

Changan Auto produced its 30 millionth vehicle in December 2025, a significant achievement. And that month, China’s first L3-level autonomous driving license plate was also issued in Chongqing.

In January, Seres’ Aito marque hit a major milestone at the firm’s megafactory in Chongqing's Liangjiang New Area when its one-millionth vehicle, an Aito M9, rolled off the production line. This was also the 270,000th delivery of the Aito M9.

Seres plans to produce another one million vehicles within the next two years, helping Chongqing become a hub for smart connected NEVs, Chairman Zhang Xinghai said.

By comparison, Beijing and Shanghai, which are municipalities directly controlled by the central government, also produce over one million vehicles. From January to November 2025, Shanghai made 1.6 million units, including 1.04 million NEVs while Beijing produced 1.33 million vehicles, reflecting a 27.6 percent jump from the same period last year.

Excluding the direct-controlled metropolises, Hefei is emerging as a strong contender for the title of "China’s Car Capital." From January to November 2025, Hefei produced 1.23 million NEVs, the most among all Chinese cities.

Editor: Kim Taylor