Cui Dongshu: In April, China's car exports reached 939,000 units, an increase of 19% month-on-month and 51% year-on-year.

According to customs data, in April 2026, China's automobile exports achieved a strong breakthrough under the background of high oil prices and tight transportation capacity: the total vehicle exports reached 939,000 units and $16.1 billion, with a year-on-year increase of 51% and 44% in volume and value respectively. With new energy products as the core, China accurately meets the strong global demand for low-energy consumption vehicles, counteracting the impact of oil price fluctuations, and forming a positive cycle of "high oil prices new energy advantages amplified accelerated exports". At the same time, automotive parts exports have steadily increased, focusing on serving mature markets in Europe and America. With a perfect supply chain system, China provides stable supporting services for global car manufacturers, forming a complementary pattern of "deep cultivation of automotive parts in Europe and America, while radiating whole vehicles globally", highlighting the synergistic effect of the industry chain and continuously strengthening China's global competitiveness in the automotive industry. 1. Explosive growth in Chinese automobile exports In 2025, China's automobile exports continued to maintain high growth momentum, reaching 940,000 units in April, demonstrating strong growth dynamics amidst the Gulf conflict and international transportation capacity constraints. Monthly export volumes of Chinese automobiles showed a step-wise growth trend from 2021 to 2025. With a low base in 2021, the total exports fluctuated between 200,000 to 380,000 units for the year; surpassing 400,000 units in 2022 and steadily rising; most months exceeded 500,000 units in 2023, stabilizing around 600,000 units from August; achieving a tremendous growth in 2024, with a record high of 990,000 units in December. Looking at the monthly pattern, the export volume tends to be lower in February due to the Chinese New Year holiday, gradually recovering and peaking in the second half of the year (especially in the fourth quarter) to reflect seasonal characteristics of delivery schedules and overseas market demand. Overall, China's automobile exports have moved beyond the low base stage and entered a period of sustained high growth, significantly enhancing competitiveness. Cumulatively, from January to April 2026, exports reached 3.28 million units, with a high year-on-year growth rate of 52%, hitting a new high in recent years. In April 2026, the export volume reached 939,000 units, up 51% year-on-year and 19% from the previous month, continuing the high prosperity seen since 2023. In terms of growth trends, the growth rate exceeded 100% when the base was low in 2021, gradually dropping to the range of 20%-50% from 2022 to 2024, and rising back to over 50% in 2026, indicating a renewed increase in export momentum. Additionally, April consistently sees a significant increase in export volume compared to January to March and contributes over 70% of the annual export volume between May and December, demonstrating a strong enhancement in export dynamics. 2. Continuous increase in average export price of Chinese automobiles From 2022 to 2026, China's automobile export value (in US dollars) saw continuous and tremendous growth. With a low base in 2022, exports exceeded $8 billion since 2023, entering a stable upward channel. By 2025, a significant growth curve emerged, and in 2026, the export value at the start of the year continued to expand, with April reaching $16.1 billion, over five times the amount in the same period in 2022, indicating a significant increase in export value. Looking at the monthly pattern, the export value shows distinct seasonal characteristics: February tends to be a low point due to the Chinese New Year holiday, gradually recovering, with the second half of the year, especially the fourth quarter, often experiencing the peak year, closely matching the delivery schedule of export volume. Meanwhile, the export value growth rate has consistently exceeded that of export volume, reflecting China's transformation from "quantity for price" to "quality for victory" in automobile exports, with continuous optimization of product structure and an increase in the proportion of high-end and high value-added vehicle models. From 2021 to 2026, China's automobile export value (in US dollars) has shown a strong trend of both scale and structural upgrades. The total value was only $34.5 billion in 2021, exceeding $140 billion in 2025, and reaching $56.9 billion in the first four months of 2026, with a high year-on-year growth rate of 54%, hitting a new high. In April 2026, the export value reached $16.1 billion, up 44% year-on-year and 17% from the previous month, continuing the high prosperity seen. In terms of growth trends, the growth rate exceeded 60% when the base was low in 2021, falling to single digits from 2022 to 2025, and returning to a stable growth range of over 50% in 2026, indicating a renewed increase in export value growth momentum. Additionally, the long-term export value growth rate has been higher than the export volume growth rate, reflecting China's transition from "quantity for price" to "quality for victory" in automobile exports, with an increasing proportion of high-value vehicle models. 3. Trends in automotive parts exports China's automotive parts exports have shown a steady expansion in scale, in stark contrast to the characteristics of whole vehicle exports. From 2022 to 2026, monthly automotive parts exports from China have shown a tendency of steady growth, expanding continuously in scale. With a low base in 2022, monthly export values fluctuated between $5.1 billion and $7.9 billion; steadily rising in 2023-2024, with most months exceeding $7.5 billion; stabilizing in the high $7.4-$8.6 billion range in 2025; and starting the year strong in 2026, with January's export value reaching $9.1 billion, hitting a new high in recent years, and continuing to grow to $8.6 billion in April, demonstrating strong export resilience. From 2021 to 2026, China's automotive parts exports have shown a steady increase in scale with relatively low growth rates, which is related to the fact that automotive parts mainly meet the demand of the European and American maintenance markets. Looking at the total value, exports amounted to $75.6 billion in 2021, rising to $95.8 billion in 2025, and reaching $32.8 billion in the first four months of 2026, continuing the growth trend. In April 2026, the export value reached $8.6 billion, up 7% year-on-year and 17% from the previous month, showing continuous export resilience. Growth trends show that the growth rate reached 34% when the base was low in 2021, dropping to single digits from 2022 to 2025, and returning to a stable growth range of over 5% in 2026, indicating a shift from high-speed expansion to high-quality growth in the industry. Moreover, the growth rate of parts exports has been consistently lower than that of whole vehicles, reflecting China's transition from being driven by parts to being driven by whole vehicles in the realm of automotive exports, with an ongoing enhancement in the complementary capabilities of the whole vehicle and parts industry chains.