China Auto Exports Hit 7.098M in 2025 as Overseas Profit Gap Widens: what are the key facts?

China exported 7.098 million vehicles in 2025, up 21.1% year over year, ranking first globally for a third straight year.

China Auto Exports Hit 7.098M in 2025 as Overseas Profit Gap Widens: what are the key facts?

Monthly exports topped one million units in both June and July 2026, with the full year projected to reach 11.5 million to 12 million vehicles.

China Auto Exports Hit 7.098M in 2025 as Overseas Profit Gap Widens: what are the key facts?

Overseas revenue as a share of total sales at BYD, Great Wall Motor and Chery rose from about 30% in 2023 to more than 50% in the first half of 2026.

China Auto Exports Hit 7.098M in 2025 as Overseas Profit Gap Widens: what are the key facts?

Great Wall Motor's overseas revenue accounted for 55.13% in the first half, yet its net profit attributable to shareholders was 2.465 billion yuan, down 61.11% year over year.

China Auto Exports Hit 7.098M in 2025 as Overseas Profit Gap Widens: what are the key facts?

In the first half of 2026, the average profit margin of domestic vehicle manufacturing fell to 1.5%, a near-decade low.

Physix Frontier · News Briefing Card (enbrief · Sep 25, 2026)

China Auto Exports Hit 7.098M in 2025 as Overseas Profit Gap Widens

KEY FACTS

China exported 7.098 million vehicles in 2025, up 21.1% year over year, ranking first globally for a third straight year.
Monthly exports topped one million units in both June and July 2026, with the full year projected to reach 11.5 million to 12 million vehicles.
Overseas revenue as a share of total sales at BYD, Great Wall Motor and Chery rose from about 30% in 2023 to more than 50% in the first half of 2026.
Great Wall Motor's overseas revenue accounted for 55.13% in the first half, yet its net profit attributable to shareholders was 2.465 billion yuan, down 61.11% year over year.
In the first half of 2026, the average profit margin of domestic vehicle manufacturing fell to 1.5%, a near-decade low.

KEY DATA

7.098 million units2025 exports

21.1%2025 export growth

11.5M-12M units2026 projected exports

1.5%H1 vehicle manufacturing margin

PHYSIX OBSERVATION

Going global has shifted from an incremental option to a profit dividing line. Carmakers with overseas revenue above half are not necessarily making money, as tariffs, currency swings and channel costs are eating into the gains. What truly separates winners from losers is localized system capability, not export volume itself. For the industry, scale leadership does not equal profit leadership; only those who complete the shift from selling cars to putting down roots will stay at the table.

Source: enbrief original report ↗