China is overtaking Japan as the largest car exporter, it is said

China has become an extremely important country for automobile production in recent years. In fact, it dethrones Japan as the largest car exporter. This was announced by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).

According to the CPCA, a record number of cars have passed through Chinese customs. This is not unthinkable for manufacturers like BYD.

China beats Japan to become the largest car exporter

It is still unclear exactly how many cars were exported to Japan and China. An estimated 3.83 million light vehicles left the ports, according to the CPCA. Japanese car exports already amounted to 3.5 million in the first eleven months of 2023. Japanese automakers are expected to have delivered a total of 4.3 million vehicles by 2023. This not only concerns cars, but also trucks and buses.

Please note that the Japanese figures are also estimates from the Chinese organization. Final numbers follow. Used cars are not included in the export figures.

China is said to have exported a total of 5.26 million vehicles. Almost a million more in Japan. The export value of Chinese cars is estimated at around $102 billion.

If the Chinese figures are correct, exports of light vehicles, such as cars, increased by 62 percent. This is mainly due to electric cars.

Domestic sales are even larger

Although China’s export numbers are enormous, its domestic market is even larger. Last year, sales of light vehicles rose 5.3 percent. Don’t be alarmed, 21.93 million cars were sold.

Although the market in China is huge, many manufacturers from the country come to Europe. Li Yunfei (General Manager at the world’s largest car manufacturer BYD) explains why they do this.