China’s NEV Industry Leads Global Transformation, Advancing from Product Export to Ecological Outbound

The electrification and intelligence revolution has not only reshaped the global automotive industry’s development direction, but also greatly enhanced the competitive advantage of China’s automotive industry in the world. According to CCTV News, Su Bo, Deputy Director of the Strategic Advisory Committee for Building a Powerful Manufacturing Country and former Vice Minister of Industry and Information Technology, stated at the 2026 High-Level Forum on Intelligent Electric Vehicle Development held from April 11 to 12 that China’s new energy vehicle (NEV) penetration rate is expected to exceed 50% this year and 70% by 2030, paving the way for becoming a powerful NEV country ahead of schedule.

Benefiting from national strategic guidance and enterprises’ innovative efforts, China’s NEVs have achieved a "curve overtaking". In 2025, NEV production and sales reached 16.626 million and 16.49 million units respectively, up 29% and 28.2% year-on-year, ranking first in the world for 11 consecutive years. The market penetration rate rose from 5.34% in 2020 to 47.9% in 2025, according to China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM).

A complete technological system has been basically established, with core technologies such as power batteries, motors and electronic control being advanced and independently controllable. Huawei, Momenta and Yuanrong Qixing have entered the supply systems of BMW and Mercedes-Benz with their intelligent driving solutions. The Yangtze River Delta has formed an efficient "4-hour industrial circle", where all supporting parts for an NEV can be sourced within a 4-hour drive.

"In the traditional fuel vehicle era, we were followers," said Zhang Yongwei, Chairman of the Auto 100 Council Research Institute. "Now, Chinese automakers are accelerating in core technologies of electrification and intelligence, achieving leading breakthroughs." Han Sanchu, Executive Vice President of Volkswagen Group (China), noted that China is redefining the global NEV competition rhythm.

Technological innovation is upgrading user experience. Lian Yubo, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Chief Scientist of BYD Group, emphasized that competition has shifted from scale expansion to value creation. Lu Fang, Chairman of Voyah Auto, added that intelligence should focus on user experience rather than technical gimmicks.

NEVs have become the core engine of China’s auto exports. According to China Government Network, China exported 1.352 million vehicles in the first two months of 2026, up 48.4% year-on-year, with 583,000 NEVs exported, a 110% year-on-year increase. In the first quarter, NEV exports reached 954,000 units, surging 120% year-on-year.

Wang Lang, Vice President of Chery Automobile, said China’s auto exports are at a historic turning point, shifting from single vehicle export to full ecological chain outbound. Yang Xueliang of Geely Holding stressed brand upgrading through global layout, while Li Ming of JAC Motors proposed building an international supply chain to stabilize overseas development, as China leads the global automotive industry transformation.