Chinese EVs Surge in Central Asia and Russia as Automakers and Suppliers Accelerate Expansion

In the first two months of this year, the Khorgos Port in Xinjiang exported 54,000 commercial vehicles, a 13.9% year-on-year increase, with new energy vehicles (NEVs) gaining widespread popularity in the five Central Asian countries and Russia. On the automaker front, Li Auto has built over 4,000 ultra-fast charging stations; the newly launched Shangjie Z7/Z7T models received more than 25,000 orders within 24 hours; and NIO has launched China’s first drone delivery route for license plates in Hefei. Mercedes-Benz plans to offer battery-electric models across all its segments by the end of the 2020s and is collaborating with CATL to co-develop next-generation batteries. In the auto parts sector, Zejing Co., Ltd. listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, raising approximately HK$650 million; Aptiv inaugurated a RMB 5 billion smart factory in Jiaxing; and both Tuopu Group and Minth Group achieved double-digit revenue growth in 2025. Additionally, lithium carbonate prices rose due to Zimbabwe’s export ban, with the main futures contract briefly surging to RMB 154,400 per tonne.