When BYD fleets on the streets of Mexico pass Chery SUVs on British highways, and when Chinese brands collectively dominate the new energy vehicle sales rankings in the UAE, the global automotive market in 2025 has witnessed the transformation of Chinese independent brands from "followers" to "leaders". This year, China's automobile exports are about to break through the 8 million unit mark, writing a cross-border industrial counterattack with technological strength and localized wisdom.

I. Highlighted Achievements: Breakthroughs in Overseas Expansion with Both Quantity and Quality Growth

China's automobile exports in 2025 are no longer mere scale expansion, but a comprehensive breakthrough with substantial value. Customs data shows that from January to November, national automobile exports reached 7.33 million units, a year-on-year increase of 25%, and November alone delivered an impressive 810,000 units, a year-on-year surge of 48%. Breaking through 8 million units for the whole year is a foregone conclusion.

New energy vehicles (NEVs) have become the absolute growth engine. From January to November, NEV exports reached 3.01 million units, a year-on-year increase of 62%, accounting for 41% of total exports. Among them, the growth rate of plug-in hybrid models (PHEVs) hit an explosive 231% year-on-year with 940,000 units exported. With their flexible "fuel-electric dual-mode" feature, PHEVs have become a "master key" adapting to different infrastructure levels around the world.

The price level further reflects value upgrading. The average retail price of Chinese electric vehicles overseas has reached 30,000 US dollars, on par with mid-range brands, completely shedding the "low-cost label". Among Great Wall Motors' overseas sales, models priced above 200,000 RMB account for over 30%, with the average selling price per vehicle exceeding 180,000 RMB. Some high-end models even achieve a 2-3 times price premium overseas.

II. New Market Pattern: Dual-Wheel Drive of Emerging and Developed Markets

Chinese brands have long bid farewell to reliance on a single market, building an overall layout of "consolidating the foundation in emerging markets and tackling key challenges in developed markets". Chinese cars can be seen on roads in more than 120 countries and regions.

Emerging Markets: Opening Up New Growth Hubs

Russia, once a core growth market, has retreated to a secondary position due to policy adjustments. Mexico and the UAE have taken over the baton of growth, becoming "new stars" of overseas expansion in 2025. Mexico topped the national rankings with a monthly export volume of 90,200 units, an increase of over 54,000 units year-on-year. In the UAE market, Chinese NEVs have become local "tech trendsetters" with their intelligent configurations and high-temperature resistant designs. As the best-selling off-road vehicle brand in the UAE over the past three years, Jetour has maintained a stable monthly sales volume of over 1,000 units in 2025. Its Jetour Traveler G700 model, with an overseas starting price of 450,000 RMB, has achieved considerable brand premium.

In Southeast Asian and African markets, Chery has accurately met differentiated demands through a diversified product matrix. Models such as Jetour Dasheng and T1 (Freeman) have successively entered markets including Malaysia and Egypt, driving sales growth with "exquisite cabins + rugged performance". Brazil and Australia have also become core growth markets, where SUV models and high-range NEV products adapted to local needs continue to see rising market share.

Developed Markets: Achieving High-End Breakthroughs

The European market has become a "key battlefield" for Chinese brands. From January to November, passenger car sales in 25 countries including the EU, EFTA, and the UK reached 687,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 96.5%. SAIC MG can be called the "European leader", retaining the title of top-selling Chinese brand in Europe for 11 consecutive years. Its sales exceeded 300,000 units in 2025, with the Hybrid+ family surging by 300% year-on-year. Cumulative sales in the UK exceeded 370,000 units, including over 100,000 pure electric vehicles, and cumulative sales in Italy, Spain and other countries also exceeded 100,000 units each.

BYD staged an "overtaking on the curve". In November, its pure electric vehicle registrations in the European market surpassed Tesla for the first time. The Seal U model topped the rankings in the UK, outperforming the Model Y, and even claimed the top spot in NEV sales in Italy and Spain. Chery also successfully entered the top five in UK sales, breaking European users' inherent perceptions of Chinese cars with technological strength.

III. Automaker Portraits: Diverse Overseas Strategies

On the 2025 overseas expansion track, independent brands are no longer "fighting alone", but have embarked on distinctive globalization paths with differentiated advantages.

Technology Leader: BYD's Global Breakthrough

With a cumulative export volume of 921,000 units (a year-on-year increase of 150%), BYD became the annual "leader". Its monthly export volume in November reached 128,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 313.4%. Its core competitiveness stems from vertical technology integration. Blade Battery and DM-i hybrid technology have become global selling points, enabling BYD to outperform Tesla in sales in 11 countries including Brazil and Italy. By acquiring Ford's Brazilian factory, BYD plans to achieve an annual output of 150,000 units in 2026, raising the localization rate to 60%, and consolidating its overseas advantages with the dual drive of "technology + production capacity".

Veteran's New Chapter: Chery's In-depth Cultivation

As the export champion for 22 consecutive years, Chery continued its glory in 2025. From January to November, its export volume reached 1.2 million units, a year-on-year increase of 14.7%, with monthly exports exceeding 100,000 units for 7 consecutive months. Its cumulative overseas users have exceeded 5.7 million. Its "'1+7+N' global R&D center layout" covers China, Germany, Spain, Brazil and other countries, gathering local talents to focus on localized adjustments of models. It will add 26 more overseas R&D centers in the future, achieving sustainable development through in-depth localization.

Ecological Player: SAIC's Global Layout

SAIC Group has long built a complete ecosystem overseas, including more than 100 auto parts production bases, over 3,000 dealer networks, plus 3 major R&D centers (such as in London) and 4 major manufacturing centers, coupled with China's first self-operated fleet for vehicle logistics, providing a solid guarantee for overseas expansion. The launch of its overseas Strategy 3.0 - Glocal Strategy (Global Thinking + Local Action) in 2025 has realized "global thinking + local action", launching personalized product solutions for different regions. From January to November, its cumulative overseas sales reached 969,000 units, and the continuous popularity of the MG brand in Europe is the best proof of this strategy.

Rising Stars: Geely and Leapmotor's Rapid Rise

Geely's exports exceeded 330,000 units from January to October 2025, and is expected to complete 400,000 units for the whole year. NEVs have become the main growth driver. It plans to achieve a 50%-80% growth in 2026 and break the 1 million unit mark in 2027. By investing in brands such as Lotus and Aston Martin, Geely is gradually breaking down European users' brand prejudices with the combination of "local genes + Chinese technology". Through its strategic cooperation with Stellantis Group, Leapmotor achieved a cumulative export volume of 60,000 units in 2025, becoming a successful example of joint-venture overseas expansion.

In addition, Great Wall Motors' Tula factory has demonstrated strong risk resistance. Seres opened up the after-sales market through exclusive cooperation with Russian dealers. GAC is promoting the KD (Knocked Down) model, setting up assembly plants in Nigeria, Thailand and other places. Various brands are blooming in multiple places, jointly supporting the overall situation of China's automobile overseas expansion.

IV. Success Code: From Product Export to Ecological Overseas Expansion

The qualitative change in overseas expansion in 2025 is by no means accidental, but the concentrated explosion of three core advantages: technology, brand, and localization.

Full Industrial Chain Strength

China has built the world's most complete NEV industrial chain, from lithium mining and battery production to vehicle manufacturing and recycling, with a self-control rate exceeding 95%. This full-chain advantage has brought significant cost competitiveness - the production cost of Chinese cars is about one-fifth lower than that in Europe, providing a solid foundation for global market competition.

Technical Standard Output

Blade Battery, high-voltage fast charging, and intelligent driving systems have become core labels of Chinese cars. Technologies such as Huawei ADS and BYD DiLink not only define product competitiveness, but have also been adopted by many countries, realizing the leap from "technology follower" to "rule maker". Policies such as the safety requirements for intelligent connected vehicles issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology have also promoted the industry to shift from "barbaric growth" to "equal emphasis on safety and innovation", laying a solid technical foundation for overseas expansion.

In-depth Localized Operations

From "adjusting product specifications" to "integrating ecology into local markets", the localization of Chinese automakers has entered a deep-water zone. SAIC optimizes the intelligent cabin application ecosystem for different countries with a "one country, one strategy" approach; Chery builds service networks, reserves spare parts, and trains personnel before launching products; NIO has set up a localized operation team in Europe, launching configurations and service systems that meet local aesthetics. These in-depth integration measures have made Chinese brands truly "local corporate citizens".

V. Future Outlook: An Expedition with Coexisting Opportunities and Challenges

After the glory of 2025, China's automobile overseas expansion will enter a critical transition period of "stable quantity and quality improvement" in 2026, with both opportunities and challenges.

Clear Growth Trend

Many institutions have given optimistic forecasts. Chebaihui (Automotive Industry Research Institute) predicts that China's automobile exports are expected to reach 8 million units in 2026, including 3.5 million NEVs; Morgan Stanley forecasts that passenger car exports will reach 6.97 million units, with Europe, Southeast Asia, and Latin America remaining the main growth markets. With the gradual release of overseas production capacity such as BYD's Hungarian factory and Chery's Spanish factory, localized production will further drive export growth, and overseas markets are expected to become a key growth driver for Chinese automakers.

Challenges to Address

Trade barriers are the biggest test. The EU's 25% anti-subsidy duties, the US's maximum 137.5% tariffs, and Mexico's plan to increase tariffs to 50% for non-free trade agreement countries starting from 2026 will all raise export costs. Compliance requirements are also becoming increasingly stringent. The EU continues to tighten standards on carbon emissions, battery recycling, and regional value content, forcing automakers to deepen localized R&D and production. In addition, the supply-demand gap of high-computing power intelligent driving chips and supply chain fluctuations caused by geopolitics will also test automakers' global operation capabilities.

Clear Future Direction

Localization will advance to a deeper level, with key components supporting and the construction of full-life-cycle service systems becoming priorities. New business models such as overseas charging networks, used cars, and car subscriptions will be gradually implemented. The product structure will continue to be optimized, with NEVs remaining the core engine, PHEVs maintaining high growth, and high-endization and intelligence becoming the focus of competition. The market layout will be more diversified. While consolidating emerging markets and deepening the European market, Chinese brands are expected to gradually break through the barriers of high-end markets such as North America through technical cooperation and localized production.

In 2025, Chinese automobiles have proven their global competitiveness with 8 million units. In the future, this expedition from "winning by quantity" to "winning by quality" will place higher demands on automakers' technical accumulation, localized wisdom, and risk response capabilities. Chinese independent brands are writing a brand-new chapter for themselves on the global automotive industry stage.