China was further ahead of Japan in vehicle exports for the first half of 2024 after overtaking its Asian neighbor as the world’s top vehicle exporter in 2023, according to numbers disclosed by industry groups in the two countries.
In the first six months, Japan’s vehicle exports edged down 0.3 percent year over year to below 2.02 million, according to data the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association disclosed this week. The number comprises 1.83 million passenger vehicles and roughly 187,000 commercial vehicles.
By contrast, automakers in China shipped more than 2.79 vehicles abroad in the same period, a jump of 31 percent from a year earlier, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. The exports include some 2.34 million passenger vehicles and around 454,000 commercial vehicles.
Among China’s vehicle exports in the first half, fuel-powered vehicles surged 36 percent to approach 2.19 million. Exports of electrified vehicles also gained 13 percent to around 605,000.
For the first six months, the top five vehicle exporters among Chinese automakers are Chery Automobile Co., SAIC Motor Corp., Changan Automobile Co., Geely Automobile Holdings and BYD Co.
Vehicle exports for Chery stood at roughly 532,000, while SAIC had about 439,000. Changan Automobile had around 285,000 vehicle exports, Geely had roughly 242,000 and BYD had about 207,000.
Chinese brands captured 11 percent of the European electric-car market in June, but vehicles imports from China face stiff European Union tariffs that took effect in July.
