China's Q1 auto imports were less than 100,000 units, down nearly 40% YoY. Imports of US autos were less than 10,000 units.

Cui Dongshu, Secretary General of the Passenger Car Association, stated in an article on April 26 that China's auto imports have been declining at an average annual rate of around 8% since 2017, when they stood at 1.24 million units, dropping to only 800,000 units in 2023. In 2024, auto imports fell to 700,000 units, down 12% YoY.

From January to March 2025, auto imports totaled 95,000 units, down 39% YoY, marking a rare significant decline for the period. In March, imports were 39,000 units, a 27% drop, showing a slight improvement.

According to data cited by Cui Dongshu, the top sources of auto imports from January to March 2025 were Japan (30,517 units), Germany (23,695 units), Slovakia (17,733 units), the US (8,871 units), the UK (8,371 units), Mexico (1,443 units), Sweden (1,371 units), Austria (695 units), South Korea (359 units), and Italy (266 units). The largest YoY increases were from Slovakia (1,931 units), Belgium (98 units), Poland (85 units), Vietnam (40 units), and Spain (23 units).

Notably, China's auto imports from the US have declined rapidly in recent years, falling from 280,000 units in 2017 to 109,000 units in 2024, a significant drop. From January to March 2025, imports from the US fell to 8,870 units, down 66% YoY, with the decline continuing in March.

The article emphasized that, given the increasing complexity of international relations, it is necessary to establish more diversified import models to maintain a reasonable scale of auto imports and ensure the security of the international supply chain.

The article also pointed out that the current import market is mainly supported by demand for luxury vehicles, while non-luxury imports have sharply declined. The share of luxury vehicles in total imports has significantly increased. In 2025, Lexus's import retail sales fell by 1%, performing well. BMW, Audi, and Land Rover showed strong overall performance, while Porsche's recent performance was relatively weak. Imported vehicles from joint venture brands have rapidly declined, with Toyota, Volkswagen, Subaru, and others experiencing sharp contractions.

It is worth noting that the sharp decline in auto imports in Q1 contrasts sharply with the high growth in China's auto production and sales.

According to CAAM data, in Q1, China's passenger car production and sales continued their strong performance, reaching 6.513 million and 6.419 million units, up 16.1% and 12.9% YoY, respectively, with growth rates higher than those of overall auto production and sales.

The growth in passenger car sales was driven by the boost from passenger NEVs. CAAM data shows that in Q1, domestic sales of passenger NEVs in China reached 2.484 million units, up 47.6% YoY. Sales of passenger NEVs across all segments increased to varying degrees, with the majority concentrated in the A and B segments, which saw cumulative sales of 881,000 and 785,000 units, up 40.4% and 15.3% YoY, respectively.

On the export front, in Q1, China's vehicle exports maintained steady growth, with NEV exports showing particularly strong growth.

CAAM data shows that in Q1, China's vehicle exports reached 1.42 million units, up 7.3% YoY. Among the top 10 exporters, Chery, BYD, SAIC, Changan, and Geely each exported over 100,000 units, with Chery leading at 254,000 units, up 0.1% YoY, accounting for 17.9% of total exports. BYD followed with 214,000 units, up 1.2 times YoY, showing the most significant growth. Tesla fell out of the top 10.