China's Auto Exports Surge Amid Weak Domestic Sales

In 2025, China exported 7.098 million vehicles, up 21.1% year-on-year, surpassing the 7-million mark for the first time. Domestic sales reached 27.302 million units, a modest increase of just 6.7%, showing clear signs of weakness toward year-end—with November and December sales declining by 4.4% and 15.6%, respectively. This "cool domestically, hot overseas" trend has continued into 2026: January domestic sales plunged 14.8% year-on-year to 1.665 million units, while exports surged 44.9% to 681,000 units, accounting for 29% of total sales—a 9.6-percentage-point increase from the same period last year. The data indicates that despite mounting pressure in the domestic market, Chinese automakers are steadily strengthening their global competitiveness.