Changan Launches Production in Thailand, GAC Establishes Presence in Brazil: International Energy Agency Predicts Global EV Share to Exceed 40% by 2030

The wave of Chinese automakers going global is sweeping the international market at an unprecedented pace. On May 16, Changan's first overseas NEV production base—the Rayong plant in Thailand—officially commenced operations. The plant has an annual capacity of 100,000 units and is expected to expand to 200,000 units in the future.

"Currently, Changan has successively launched seven new products in Thailand, including the S07, E07, and Avatr 11," said Zhu Huarong, Chairman of Changan Automobile. Changan has already completed the construction of nine overseas factories and plans to elevate the strategic importance of its five major overseas regional markets to the same level as the Chinese market. Its global market capacity is expected to expand from 30 million to 50 million units. "Globalization is one of the key factors determining the survival of the fittest for automakers, including Changan."

GAC is also accelerating its overseas expansion. Four days earlier, GAC Group clarified its plan for localized production in Brazil and announced the establishment of an R&D center in Brazil in collaboration with the State University of Campinas, the Federal University of Santa Catarina, and the Federal University of Santa Maria, fully integrating GAC's R&D system into Brazil. On May 8, Geely signed an agreement with Abdul Latif Jameel Motors, which will act as the distributor for Geely's passenger NEVs in Poland. It is reported that Geely is expected to enter the Polish market as early as Q3 2025, selling EVs.

"The repeated achievements in Chinese auto exports are the result of the full manifestation of the core competitive advantages of the automotive industry chain and a phased outcome of automakers actively going global," said Wu Songquan, a senior chief expert at the China Automotive Technology and Research Center. He believes that the advantages of Chinese automakers going global are mainly reflected in three aspects: NEVs have a high level of design concepts, product performance, quality, and user experience, with strong international competitiveness, while traditional internal combustion engine vehicles also have strong competitive advantages in emerging markets; the automotive industry chain has a solid foundation, a rich variety of products, a complete parts system, and numerous enterprises, providing support for the industry's global expansion; and key components such as power batteries have competitive advantages.

The "catfish effect" of Chinese automakers is driving the continuous development of the global NEV industry. On May 14, the International Energy Agency (IEA) released a report predicting that global EV sales will exceed 20 million units in 2025, accounting for over 25% of total new car sales, with the Chinese market continuing to lead, accounting for nearly half. The agency expects that if countries fulfill their energy and climate commitments on schedule, EVs will account for over 40% of global new car sales by 2030.

Not only GAC, Changan, and Geely, but in April alone, BYD announced its entry into the Swiss market, IM Motors announced its launch in Australia, and XPeng announced its entry into the Bahrain market. Among them, BYD introduced three car models to the Swiss market: the BYD SEAL, BYD SEALION 7 EV, and SEAL U DM-i, covering both battery electric vehicle (BEV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) powertrain options. Through collaboration with AutomotiveSuisse, a local dealer in Switzerland, BYD plans to establish 15 sales outlets in Switzerland by the end of 2025, further expanding its business coverage.

"Our next focus will be on major markets such as Australia, Europe, and the UK," said an insider from IM Motors. Currently, IM Motors is performing "quite well" in the Thai market. According to the plan, IM Motors will officially launch in Australia in the middle of this year.

Data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) show that in the first four months of this year, China's automobile production and sales both exceeded 10 million units for the first time in history, with year-on-year (YoY) growth of 12.9% and 10.8%, respectively. Among them, 642,000 new energy vehicles (NEVs) were exported, representing a 52.6% YoY increase.

Wu Songquan stated that, based on the laws of industrial development, after automobile enterprises achieve a certain scale in overseas markets, they generally shift towards localized production and supply, establishing production sites near consumer markets to better meet personalized demands and respond more swiftly to market changes.