China's NEV output tops 16 million units as exports double

In 2025, China's automotive industry demonstrated strong resilience with sustained momentum, supported by the continued implementation of policies aimed at promoting large-scale equipment upgrades and consumer goods trade-in programs. A range of key indicators hit record highs.

Annual automobile production and sales reached 34.531 million and 34.4 million units, respectively, up 10.4 percent and 9.4 percent year on year. Both figures set new historical records, making China the world's largest auto producer and market for the 17th consecutive year.

New energy vehicles emerged as the market driver. NEV production and sales totaled 16.626 million and 16.49 million units in 2025, each posting year-on-year growth of nearly 30 percent. NEVs accounted for more than half of domestic new car sales. China has now ranked first globally in NEV production and sales for 11 consecutive years.

Exports have become a key growth engine, highlighting the sector's external resilience. China's automobile exports exceeded 7 million units in 2025. NEV exports reached 2.615 million units, doubling from a year earlier and serving as the main driver of export growth. The competitiveness of Chinese brands continued to strengthen, with domestic passenger vehicle brands accounting for nearly 70 percent of the total sales, up 4.3 percentage points year on year.

Chen Shihua, deputy secretary-general of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, said that during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021–2025), the industry achieved multiple breakthroughs. Annual production and sales have remained above 30 million units for three consecutive years, with the operating revenue surpassing 10 trillion yuan ($1.43 trillion), and automobile exports rising to the top position in the world. At the same time, faster integration of electrification with intelligent and connected technologies has helped build China's leading industrial edge.