Analysis of the Auto Export Market from January to April 2025

Analysis of the Auto Export Market from January to April 2025: New Growth Trends Driven by New Energy and Commercial Vehicles

According to the latest statistics from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, China's auto export market showed a significant structural growth feature from January to April 2025.Despite the complex and volatile global trade environment, the export volume of automobiles still reached 517,000 units in April. From January to April, the cumulative export volume was 1.937 million units, representing a year-on-year growth of 6%.Among them, the export performance of new energy vehicles was particularly outstanding. From January to April, a total of 642,000 units were exported, with a year-on-year growth rate as high as 52.6%, becoming the core driving force for the overall export growth.

New energy vehicle exports: Plug-in hybrid models lead in growth rate, and the market pattern is diversified and expanding

The export of traditional fuel vehicles has been under continuous pressure. In April, 317,000 traditional fuel vehicles were exported, a year-on-year decline of 18.7%,From January to April, the cumulative export volume was 1.295 million vehicles, a year-on-year decrease of 7.9%. In sharp contrast, new energy vehicles have performed strongly. In April, 200,000 new energy vehicles were exported, up 76% year-on-year.

In the segmented market, plug-in hybrid vehicles have demonstrated explosive growth potential:In April, 60,000 plug-in hybrid vehicles were exported, increasing by 8.3% month-on-month and 1.4 times year-on-year. From January to April, the cumulative export volume reached 212,000 units, increasing by 1.5 times year-on-year. The growth rate was significantly higher than that of pure electric models (from January to April, the export volume of pure electric vehicles was 430,000 units, increasing by 27.5% year-on-year).

From the perspective of the distribution of export markets, new energy passenger vehicles have achieved remarkable results in expanding into emerging markets.Sun Xiaohong, secretary-general of the Automobile Internationalization Professional Committee of the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products, pointed out that the export of hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles to some countries in the Middle East, Central Asia and Southeast Asia has increased significantly, and new energy passenger vehicles have achieved considerable growth in markets such as Mexico, Turkey and Israel.Data from the China Passenger Car Association shows that in the first quarter of 2025, the main destinations for China's auto exports were Mexico, the United Arab Emirates, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Belgium, Australia and Brazil, among others..It is worth noting that although China's exports to Russia have declined since the beginning of this year, the market share of domestic brands in Russia still remains at a high level of 55%, and exports to Russia have gradually stabilized in April.

Commercial vehicle exports: Growth rate far exceeds that of passenger vehicles, with explosive growth in new energy commercial vehicles

The commercial vehicle export market shows a growth trend that is completely different from that of passenger vehicles, with a significantly higher growth rate..In April, 431,000 passenger vehicles were exported, increasing by 5% month-on-month and slightly by 0.4% year-on-year. From January to April, a total of 1.609 million vehicles were exported, representing a year-on-year growth of 4.6%.In April, commercial vehicles were exported 86,000 units, a 10.9% decrease from the previous month, but still achieved a 15.3% growth year-on-year. From January to April, a total of 327,000 vehicles were exported, representing a year-on-year growth of 13.7%..Among the sub-models, the export performance of trucks was more outstanding. In April, 75,000 trucks were exported, representing a year-on-year growth of 15.7%. From January to April, a total of 282,000 vehicles were exported, representing a year-on-year growth of 14.4%.In April, 11,000 passenger vehicles were exported, increasing by 12.4% year-on-year. From January to April, a total of 45,000 vehicles were exported, representing a year-on-year growth of 9.7%.

Overall, from January to April 2025, China's auto export market achieved stable growth driven by both new energy vehicles and commercial vehicles, and the export structure continued to optimize..In the future, with the further release of global demand for new energy vehicles and the continuous advancement of the internationalization process of China's automotive industry, China's auto exports are expected to maintain a good growth trend. However, it is also necessary to closely monitor the potential impact of changes in the international trade environment on the export market.