In 2025, China’s automobile exports hit 7.098 million units, rising 21.1% year‑on‑year and topping global export rankings for the third consecutive year. New‑energy vehicle exports reached 2.615 million units, surging 103.7% year‑on‑year. The export momentum remains strong in 2026, with full‑year shipments expected to exceed 10 million units.

A decade ago, the industry kept asking: When will Chinese brands truly go global? Today, massive export volumes seem to have delivered a preliminary answer.

Chery posted 1.344 million overseas sales in 2025, retaining its position as China’s top passenger‑vehicle exporter for 23 straight years. Yet one critical question remains: does selling vehicles worldwide equal being a truly global automotive enterprise? The answer is no.

Seven million units marks a major milestone. It validates Chinese product competitiveness and the capacity of domestic industrial chains to serve global markets at scale. Nevertheless, these figures largely reflect globalization by volume. What will define China’s long‑term role in the global auto industry is globalization depth.

The so‑called “overseas market” is far from a single, unified marketplace.

Each region follows distinct rules. Some markets are relatively open, while others impose strict barriers. Consumer demands, charging infrastructure, taxation schemes, regulatory standards and competitive landscapes vary widely across borders. Success in one territory offers no guarantee of performance elsewhere. Genuine globalization means adapting to local conditions rather than replicating domestic playbooks across dozens of countries.

China’s automotive outbound expansion is unfolding along three major shifts.

First: from individual‑model exports to complete product‑portfolio deployment.

Early‑stage exports relied heavily on a handful of cost‑competitive models supplied to local dealers. This approach is growing less sustainable. MG expands its hybrid lineup in Europe; BYD enriches its PHEV offering for overseas markets; Chery deploys multiple sub‑brands including Omoda and Jaecoo to cover diverse market segments. Should the EU impose additional tariffs on Chinese plug‑in hybrids in the future, diversified product portfolios will serve as vital risk buffers.

The industry is evolving from “selling whatever we build” toward “building what markets demand.” Core capabilities are expanding from pure export execution to market‑oriented product definition.

Second: from standalone OEM overseas expansion to industrial‑cluster globalization.

As BYD, Chery, Great Wall and Changan scale up overseas operations, challenges go well beyond vehicle sales. Critical questions emerge: Where will batteries, electric drives, seating systems, thermal‑management hardware, chassis components and electronic parts be sourced? Should components be shipped from China, or built up locally? Should domestic suppliers follow vehicle manufacturers abroad?

In Hungary, Thailand, Mexico and Brazil, whole segments of China’s auto supply chain are moving offshore. Chinese auto globalization is transitioning from individual‑brand adventures to collective industrial‑chain competition.

Third: from selling hardware to operating full‑fledged local ecosystems.

Automobiles are not one‑off commodities. After a vehicle is delivered to customers, after‑sales service, spare‑parts supply, auto finance, insurance, charging networks, OTA updates and residual‑value management for used cars all come into play. Deep‑rooted local presence further requires manufacturing footprints, localized supply networks, local R&D, talent development, university‑industry collaboration, technical partnerships and even capital cooperation or mergers & acquisitions.

The basic competitive unit for Chinese automakers in global markets is shifting from a single car to a comprehensive set of industrial capabilities.

Chinese players have adopted vastly different globalization paths; there is no universal blueprint.

Chery represents a veteran explorer. With 1.344 million export units in 2025 and a footprint across more than 100 economies, it has advanced gradually via complete‑vehicle exports, KD assembly and progressive localization.

BYD pursues large‑scale local manufacturing. Major production bases in Thailand, Brazil and Hungary have come online, paired with regional R&D and supply‑chain development, enabling rapid transition from trade‑based exports to local production and regional operation.

Leapmotor has chosen an alternative route. It formed a joint venture with Stellantis to handle sales and manufacturing outside Greater China, leveraging its partner’s mature global channels and production infrastructure. This illustrates a key insight: globalization does not require owning every overseas asset. What truly counts is the ability to mobilize global resources efficiently.

Therefore, evaluating globalization performance cannot depend merely on export volumes, the number of overseas plants or the count of entered countries. Chery, BYD, SAIC Motor, Geely and Leapmotor are all writing distinct global chapters.

China’s automotive globalization is undergoing three successive transformations.

Phase One: Made‑in‑China products sold across the globe.

This phase focused on getting products out, building sales networks and securing basic after‑sales support. The 7.098‑million‑unit export figure of 2025 stands as its landmark achievement, proving Chinese products can pass large‑scale global consumer validation. One statistical caveat: export data also includes vehicles produced in China by foreign‑funded and joint‑venture marques and does not exclusively represent Chinese‑brand overseas sales. Going forward, assessment should shift from “how many units are exported” toward “how substantial local overseas operations really are.”

Phase Two: From manufacturing in China to manufacturing across the globe.

This wave is unfolding rapidly. New vehicle plants have been erected in Thailand, Brazil, Hungary, Spain, Mexico and Central Asia. Still, opening overseas factories is not equivalent to thorough localization. Approaches range from SKD and CKD assembly to contract manufacturing, joint‑venture production and fully‑fledged local supply‑chain ecosystems. There is a huge gap between “building cars abroad” and “truly putting down local roots.”

According to Gasgoo Institute statistics, Chinese automakers’ planned overseas annual capacity has climbed steadily: 3.44 million units in 2023, 3.96 million in 2024, 5.26 million in 2025 and nearly 6.85 million units projected for 2026. The first 7‑million‑unit milestone was realized by vehicles built inside China and shipped worldwide. The next nearly 7‑million‑unit increment will come from capacity controlled by Chinese automakers on foreign soil. It remains to be seen how much of this planned capacity will translate into genuinely localized operations.

Phase Three: Genuine global operation.

This is the most demanding stage and the ultimate test for any true global enterprise. Companies must navigate complicated realities: How to comply with strict regulations, environmental rules, labour‑union requirements and data governance in Europe? How to compete against long‑established Japanese‑led supply chains and build local component ecosystems in Thailand? How to cope with tax revisions and exchange‑rate volatility in Brazil? How to move beyond cost‑performance positioning and build brand premium in the Middle East? Can businesses sustain stable performance amid shifts in local politics and policies?

At this stage, overseas expansion is no longer just a sales project. It becomes full‑scale multinational corporate management.

Over the past decade, the industry prioritized “whether we have it”: overseas sales volumes, dealer networks and overseas factories. The coming decade will compete on “how deep it goes”: depth of local channels, market‑driven product definition, localization of manufacturing and supply chains, indigenous R&D capability, brand equity and cross‑border organizational governance.

Whether an automaker qualifies as a genuine global corporation is not determined by how many countries it enters or solely by overseas sales volume. The core benchmark lies in sustained local operation, consistent profitability, and resilience through economic and geopolitical cycles.

To conclude: exports measure scale; globalization measures depth. China’s auto sector has achieved breakthroughs in globalization volume, yet the construction of deep‑rooted globalization has only just begun.