Aerial photo taken on Aug. 12, 2021 shows new energy vehicles at a logistics park in Liuzhou, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (Photo by Li Hanchi/Xinhua)
BEIJING, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- China's auto industry stands out amid the COVID-19 pandemic with automobile sales once again topping the world last year and maintaining strong momentum this year. In particular, China's brand vehicles highlight the overseas market.
From January to July 2021, China exported a total of 1.002 million vehicles, with a year-on-year increase of 120 percent. The number of vehicles exported in July was 174,000, a year-on-year increase of 180 percent, hitting a new record, according to statistics from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM).
According to the Ministry of Commerce (MOC), from January to July, China's new energy vehicle (NEV) exports grew by 102.5 percent year on year, a record high growth rate for the same period in history, boosting China's overall auto export growth rate by 0.6 percentage points.
During the period, China-made vehicles presented strong market performance in the Middle East, Africa and Europe.
-- Excellent performance in Europe
In the first half of 2021, China's largest vehicle export increase was seen in the European market, in particular the middle and high-end markets.
The sharp increase was mainly due to the recent green transformation in Europe, which has boosted the local NEV market, while the European electric vehicle (EV) industry has less competitiveness. In addition, Europe and some other countries and regions have suspended production due to the pandemic and related supply chains.
In 2020, China's automobile manufacturer, SAIC Motor, reported profits from the European market for the first time. In the first half of this year, new energy vehicles of SAIC's own brands MG and Maxus ranked in the forefront of the markets in the United Kingdom, Norway, the Netherlands, Denmark, Iceland and other European countries.
According to data from the Association of European Businesses (AEB), from January to July, 56,573 Chinese brand vehicles were sold in Russia, a year-on-year increase of 140 percent. The top three bestsellers were Chery, Haval and Geely.
In addition, Tesla's factory in Shanghai began to export cars to Europe in October 2020. Other Chinese brands such as NIO, Xpeng and Aiways have also entered the European market, making their first step of "going global" in Europe.
-- Favored in the Middle East and North Africa
China's brand vehicles have been favored in the Middle East and North Africa, mainly in Saudi Arabia, Iran and Algeria.
According to the Industry Information Department of CAAM, Saudi Arabia imported 64,000 Chinese vehicles in the first half of 2021, ranking second among importers of Chinese fully assembled vehicles.
Analysts believe that Chinese brand vehicles bear enormous potential in Saudi Arabia and the entire Gulf region, as China continues to deepen cooperation with the Belt and Road countries, and Saudi Arabia implements its Vision 2030 and related policies.
In North Africa, China's Great Wall Motor aims at Egypt, the second largest car market in Africa with the introduction of the POER, Wingle 5 & 7 and the full series of pick-up trucks in the first half of the year.From January to July, JAC Group, another Chinese auto brand, exported 2,776 vehicles to Africa, up 49.89 percent year on year.
-- A bright future in Southeast Asia
Chinese carmakers are attempting to grasp market shares through battery electric vehicles in the Southeast Asian market.
Thailand, the largest auto market in Southeast Asia, has been moving slowly in the EV transformation, and large carmakers have not yet begun localized EV production. In 2020, only 1,400 EVs were sold in Thailand, about 60 percent of which were from China's SAIC Motor.
It's reported that SAIC Motor plans to work with a joint-venture factory of Thailand's CP Group to promote localized EV production in Thailand.
Chinese carmakers are also expanding into the fields of commercial vehicles. In Thailand, Foton plans to launch pure electric trucks as early as 2021. Besides, SAIC Motor and Great Wall Motor are also promoting pure electric vehicles in Southeast Asia.
Industrial insiders believe this remarkable export growth suggests that this year may be a milestone of Chinese vehicles' "going global".
(Edited by Gao Jingyan with Xinhua Silk Road, gaojingyan@xinhua.org)
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