Export volume of new energy cars from China 2017-2021

In 2021, China exported a total of about 597,100 new energy vehicles, a significant increase of nearly 1.7 times compared to the previous year. In that year, about 3.5 million new energy vehicles were sold inside of China.

The largest EV producer in the world

China's new energy vehicle manufacturing industry has made remarkable progress since 2013. In 2022, China is projected to produce over 13 million electric vehicles, exceeding all other major manufacturers' combined production volume. Meanwhile, Chinese carmakers are seen as frontrunners in electric car sales as well. Chinese automotive company BYD and the SAIC-GM-Wuling joint venture, ranked second and third in terms of plug-in electric vehicle sales globally, next to market leader Tesla.

New market, new opportunities

Due to the saturated market and high access standards, Chinese automotive enterprises contributed only about six percent of all imported vehicles to the EU in 2020. However, in the year 2021, share of Chinese car exports to Europe jumped to 24 percent of total exports, making Europe the second trading partner after Asia. This was due to the strengthened regulations on CO2 emissions from passenger cars and incentives boosting demand for new energy vehicles in Europe and providing an excellent opportunity for Chinese automakers to win more market share.