Recently, China's auto export data came out, the first quarter exports have surpassed Japan, and April auto exports continue to maintain the growth trend. Some foreign media expect that China will surpass Japan this year, or become the world's largest car exporters.
Industry sources believe that the number of Chinese auto exports has increased greatly, thanks to the booming electric vehicle industry. In the process of energy transformation in the automotive industry, China has successfully built the world's leading electric vehicle industry cluster and is at the forefront of the world in terms of intelligence and networking. In addition, the charm of the world's number one automotive market has attracted foreign automotive headquarter companies to step up the adjustment of their layout in China, to deepen the Chinese market and learn from the Chinese experience.
The speed is "unbelievable!"
Statistics from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers show that in the first quarter of this year, domestic auto companies exported 994,000 units, up 70.6% year-on-year, surpassing Japan's 954,000 units. The latest data show that in April, 376,000 units were exported, up 1.7 times year-on-year, of which 100,000 units of new energy vehicles, such as electric and hybrid, were exported, up 28.6% YoY and 8.4 times YoY, maintaining good momentum.
The Financial Times recently reported that Chinese electric car makers are dominating the domestic market while also expanding overseas in a big way. 2022 will see China surpass Germany in auto exports, and this year China will surpass Japan as the world's largest auto exporter.
Brad Setzer, a senior fellow at the Foreign Service Institute, a U.S. foreign policy think tank, tweeted about this, saying it's happening incredibly fast.
CBS recently reported that Chinese auto exports have grown by more than 50 percent in just the past two years, and that China has joined Japan, Germany and the United States in the top row of global auto exporters.
Talking about China's electric car companies change lane to lead, Japan's Nagoya University Visiting Professor Jio Nobe said, firstly, in the top design, China set the goal of becoming an auto power about 20 years ago, and did not choose to catch up with advanced countries such as Europe, America and Japan in the field of internal combustion engine, but focused on the field of electric vehicles early on.
Secondly, China has introduced foreign car companies to produce in the country and optimized its foreign investment policy in automobiles, such as inviting Tesla to settle in Shanghai to learn the concept and model of smart electric cars. In addition, local companies such as Ningde Times have laid out power battery and other components manufacturing early on, forming an electric vehicle industry cluster. The huge scale of China's market also brings significant advantages for the development of the electric vehicle industry.
"The era of electric vehicles begins"
Some industry experts and analysts believe that due to its early start, China is not only ahead of the curve in the electrification of cars, but some Chinese brands are also quite competitive internationally in areas such as network connectivity and intelligent assisted driving, and Chinese electric vehicle brands have driven change throughout the industry and left foreign companies in the dust.
According to AFP, electric vehicle expert Elliott Richards said this year's Shanghai Auto Show has proven that Chinese brands "can compete with all traditional automakers in every way - performance, quality, comfort, there's nothing they can't do." . He said, "I think this show marks the end of the internal combustion engine (era) and the beginning of the electric car era."
Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer, a leading German automotive expert and director of the Duisburg Automotive Research Center, recently said that China is an indispensable and important force in the process of new energy transformation in the automotive industry. From car batteries to automotive software, chips and many other fields, Chinese companies are at the forefront of global technology, European automotive companies need to learn from their Chinese counterparts and collaborative efforts between China and Europe to achieve a win-win situation.
Dudenhoeffer believes that in the field of electric vehicles and automotive software, Chinese brands occupy a dominant position. "Chinese car companies are gradually moving into the European market and already have a strong presence in Eastern European countries, not bad in the UK, and now they're coming to Germany."
The February issue of MIT Technology Review points out that China has succeeded in building a world-leading electric vehicle industry, that the momentum has not slowed down, and that it "already has some structural advantages. China's dominance of the electric vehicle industry has helped it become one of the world's leaders in climate change policy, helping it curb air pollution, reduce dependence on imported oil and rebuild its economy in the wake of the financial crisis.
The article quotes Mazorko, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a U.S. think tank, as saying that China's experience shows that electric vehicles can be an opportunity for developing countries to surpass developed countries.
China's Opportunity, China's Experience
The International Energy Agency's recently released "Global Electric Vehicle Outlook 2023" report shows that China is the global leader in electric vehicle sales, with 60 percent of global electric vehicle sales occurring in China last year and more than half of the world's sold electric vehicles in China. As the potential of the Chinese market continues to be unleashed and new consumer demand continues to emerge, no international car company wants to miss the opportunity to develop in China.
Christoph Minzell, chairman of the German Baden Industrial Enterprise Economic Union, told reporters that the large, prosperous and dynamic Chinese market has attracted German automotive giants such as Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen and BMW to put down roots in China, develop in harmony with the Chinese market, increase understanding and trust in Chinese partners and work together to achieve prosperity. With a booming market, a concentration of cutting-edge technology in the global automotive industry and an enthusiastic consumer willing to accept new things, German car companies are looking forward to continuing their growth in China.
Fabian Brandt, Partner and Head of Global Automotive and Manufacturing at the Munich office of Oliver Wyman, said that Chinese consumers are more focused on the "mobility" represented by new energy vehicles than European consumers, and that this is reflected in the changing aesthetic demands for vehicle exteriors and interiors. He believes that China's local car brands are taking the initiative to meet the market demand for new model designs, while some foreign brands have made cuts in the areas of concern to Chinese consumers, which is the reason for their lack of sales in the Chinese market.
Toshihiro Mibe, president of Japan's Honda Motor Company, recently told Japanese media that Chinese carmakers have made leaps and bounds in the field of software-defined vehicles, "beyond our imagination. He said bluntly, "We've fallen behind."
Toyota Motor Corp.'s newly appointed president Tsuneharu Sato said in a group interview with foreign journalists in Tokyo that the Chinese auto market is a world leader in electrification and intelligence, and that Toyota has a lot to learn in the Chinese market. For Toyota, the company's role in China is very important to lead the company's transformation.
Industry insiders believe that China's new energy vehicle industry has entered a period of full market expansion. But it is also important to see that domestic new energy vehicle brands face tougher market competition. The profitability, independent innovation and comprehensive competitiveness of the domestic new energy vehicle industry chain need to be further improved.
