China's Auto Industry in 2025: Steady Growth, NEVs Shine with Record Exports

Published: Jan 16, 2026 09:37

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In 2025, China's automotive industry maintained steady growth. According to the latest statistics, annual automobile production and sales reached 34.531 million and 34.4 million units, up 10.4% and 9.4% YoY, respectively. Among them, NEVs performed particularly strongly, with production and sales reaching 16.626 million and 16.49 million units, up 29% and 28.2% YoY, accounting for 47.9% of total new vehicle sales.
Data for December alone showed automobile production and sales of 3.296 million and 3.272 million units, down 2.1% and 6.2% YoY. However, NEVs bucked the trend, with production and sales reaching 1.718 million and 1.71 million units, up 12.3% and 7.2% YoY, and their share exceeded 50% for the first time, reaching 52.3%.
Exports showed strong growth, with vehicle exports in December reaching 753,000 units, up 49.2% YoY, including 300,000 NEV exports, surging 124.8% YoY. Cumulative vehicle exports for the full year reached 7.098 million units, up 21.1% YoY, while NEV exports reached 2.615 million units, achieving 103.7% YoY growth.

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