"Data" about the auto market: China ranks first in the world, with 4.91 million vehicles exported in 2023

In 2023, automobile exports hit a new high and became an important force driving the growth of automobile production and sales. According to statistics from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, China's automobile exports in 2023 will reach 4.91 million units, a year-on-year increase of 57.9%, and the contribution rate of exports to the growth of total automobile sales will reach 55.7%.

From breaking through 1 million vehicles in 2012, to breaking through 2 million vehicles in 2021, breaking through 3 million vehicles in 2022, and breaking through 4 million vehicles in just 11 months in 2023 - Chinese automobile companies are accelerating their "going overseas" and playing the strongest voice of "Made in China".

In addition, according to the latest forecast of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, Japan's annual automobile exports in 2023 will be about 4.3 million vehicles, which means that China's automobile exports will surpass Japan in 2023 and will become the world's largest automobile exporter.

Chinese car companies are busy going overseas

Data shows that the top ten companies in terms of vehicle exports in 2023 are SAIC, Chery, Geely, Changan, Tesla, Great Wall, BYD, Dongfeng, BAIC and JAC. Among them, SAIC Group ranks first with 1.099 million vehicles exported, while Chery and Geely rank second and third with 925,000 and 408,000 vehicles respectively.

In terms of growth rate, BYD's new car exports in 2023 will be 252,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 3.3 times; Chery's new car exports last year doubled year-on-year; Great Wall's new car exports last year were 316,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 82.5%.

As the leader of independent brands going overseas, SAIC Group's overseas sales will exceed 1 million units in 2023, a year-on-year increase of 18.8%. As the main force of SAIC Group's overseas strategy, MG4 EV's sales in Europe exceeded 100,000 units in 2023, becoming the "compact pure electric vehicle sales champion", and Europe also became SAIC's first "200,000-unit" overseas regional market. Next, SAIC will also launch 14 new smart electric "global cars" in overseas markets to further expand its overseas product lineup and achieve "full coverage" of mainstream market segments.

SAIC Group's new energy vehicle and overseas sales hit new highs in 2023

Chery Automobile claims that it has "ranked first in Chinese brand passenger car exports for 21 consecutive years". In 2023, Chery Group's sales volume was 1.8813 million vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 52.6%, of which automobile exports exceeded 900,000 vehicles, and exports accounted for nearly half of total sales, far exceeding the industry average.

While delivering impressive results, domestic automakers are also accelerating their "going overseas" strategies.

In February 2023, Chery announced an investment of US$400 million to build a factory in Argentina, which is expected to produce 100,000 vehicles per year.

Aiming at the Thai and even the entire ASEAN market, SAIC's new energy vehicle "going overseas" has also pressed the accelerator. At the end of April 2023, the groundbreaking ceremony of SAIC Zhengda New Energy Industrial Park was held in the Hemei Industrial Zone in Chonburi Province, Thailand. The industrial park, covering an area of 120,000 square meters, will focus on the localized production of key components for new energy vehicles. The first phase of the project will be completed within the year, and the overall project will be completed in 2025.

Groundbreaking ceremony of SAIC Zhengda New Energy Industrial Park

In May 2023, Great Wall Motors signed a "Memorandum of Understanding on Hydrogen Energy Cooperation and Development" with the Sao Paulo State Government in Brazil to jointly promote the feasibility study of hydrogen-powered transportation, and Great Wall Motors' Brazilian factory will start operation in 2024, which is also the first new energy factory in Brazil.

At the Shanghai Auto Show in April 2023, Changan Automobile also officially released its overseas strategic "Hainan Baichuan" plan, strongly pressing the "going overseas" shortcut key to fully start a new journey.

At the Shanghai Auto Show in April 2023, Changan Automobile officially released its overseas strategy "Hainan Baichuan" plan

It is worth mentioning that in addition to traditional car companies such as SAIC, Chery, Changan, Geely, and BYD, which continue to accelerate their overseas expansion. In recent years, new car-making forces such as Weilai, Xiaopeng, and Zeekr have also successively proposed "going overseas" plans.

In 2024, each independent brand will regard overseas sales as the main driving force for its growth. Based on this, the continuous expansion of new overseas markets and the rapid layout of new energy models in overseas markets will become the common choice of independent brands.