China exported 4.91 million vehicles in 2023, making it the world's largest auto exporter, an official with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said on Friday.

The exports of automobiles have reached a new level, and China-made new energy vehicles (NEVs) have provided diverse choices for global consumers, Vice Minister Xin Guobin said at a press conference, adding that the country's auto exports grew by 57.9 percent year on year last year, with NEVs exports surging 77.6 percent year on year to 1.2 million units.

China's automobile industry has set a new record in 2023, with both production and sales exceeding 30 million units for the first time, according to data released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM). 

In 2022, China became the world's second-largest automobile exporter. The industry continues to show robust growth in 2023. With a broadening global reach, Chinese automobiles are now exported to over 200 countries and regions.

Moreover, the surge in popularity of NEVs in overseas markets has been widely noticed as China's auto exports hit a record high in 2023.

In 2023, the 1.2 million NEVs exported by China accounted for over 24 percent of the country's total auto exports last year, according to CAAM. China's auto company BYD also became the world's leading seller of pure electric vehicles in the fourth quarter of 2023.

Chen Shihua, deputy secretary-general of CAAM, said China is expected to export 5.5 million NEVs in 2024. "The top three overseas markets for Chinese NEVs are Belgium, Thailand and the United Kingdom," Chen added.