New-energy vehicles are ready for export at the Toumen Port roll-on, roll-off terminal in Linhai, East China's Zhejiang Province, on September 22, 2026. In the first eight months, China's total auto exports reached 7.153 million units, up 66.7 percent year-on-year, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. Photo: VCG

China's automobile exports maintained strong momentum in October, with new energy vehicles (NEVs) emerging as a key growth engine amid intensifying competition at home and expanding demand abroad, industry insiders said on Wednesday.

The remarks come as the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) on Wednesday announced that China exported 1.066 million vehicles in October, up 60.2 percent year-on-year. Of that total, NEV exports reached 606,000 units, up 140 percent year-on-year.

In the first 10 months of the year, China's cumulative vehicle exports totaled 9.271 million units, including 4.612 million NEVs, whose exports rose 130 percent year-on-year, CAAM data showed.

The latest data showed that China's automobile output and sales both exceeded 3 million units in October, rising from the previous month. NEVs continued to gain market share, with output and sales reaching 2.017 million and 1.94 million units respectively, up 13.8 percent and 13.1 percent year-on-year. NEV sales accounted for 64.3 percent of total new vehicle sales in October, CCTV News reported.

For the January-October period, NEV sales made up 54.8 percent of China's total vehicle sales, underscoring the sector's growing dominance. In the passenger vehicle segment, NEVs captured more than 70 percent of the domestic market in October, according to CAAM.

Industry experts said the rising share of NEVs is not a short-term phenomenon, but the result of technological upgrading, stronger product competitiveness, and growing consumer acceptance. They added that China's EV industry is entering a new phase in which competition is intensifying in an increasingly crowded domestic market, while overseas markets are providing additional growth opportunities.

Analysts said China's auto industry is currently facing a "domestic stock competition, overseas incremental breakthrough" pattern: fierce competition in the home market is pushing companies to improve efficiency, lower costs, and accelerate innovation, while exports are becoming a critical outlet for capacity and growth.

According to the CAAM data, China's vehicle exports have now exceeded 1 million units for five consecutive months, while NEVs have accounted for more than 50 percent of exports for five straight months.

Experts said this export pattern reflects a structural shift in China's auto industry, with NEVs increasingly becoming the main force in global expansion. Chinese automakers are benefiting from competitive pricing, improving technology, and a more complete industrial chain covering batteries, motors, electronic controls, and software systems. 

"In the domestic market, competition is increasingly centered on product quality, intelligent features, and cost-effectiveness," Wu Songquan, an expert from the China Automotive Technology and Research Center, told the Global Times on Wednesday. "At the same time, overseas markets are offering significant room for expansion as Chinese automakers improve brand recognition and supply chain competitiveness."

China's NEV market is expected to remain resilient, supported by continued policy backing, product innovation, and export growth.

According to the analyst, policy support has played an important role. China has continued to encourage NEV adoption through measures such as charging infrastructure development, green mobility incentives, and industrial upgrading policies, helping reinforce the sector's foundation.

"As China's NEV sector consolidates its position at home and accelerates its push abroad, the industry is increasingly seen as a key pillar of the country's manufacturing upgrade and export competitiveness," Wu said.

Global Times