What’s new: China exported 310,000 new-energy vehicles (NEV) in 2021, a three-fold expansion from the previous year, according to data released Wednesday by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM).
More than half of China’s NEV exports, or 160,000 autos, were produced by Tesla Inc.’s plant in Shanghai.
China’s total auto exports reached a record 2.01 million units in 2021, double that of the previous year as global automobile consumption revived from pandemic disruptions.
CAAM projected that China’s auto exports will grow 20% in 2022.
More to know: Europe, South Asia and Southeast Asia are the top destinations for China’s NEV exports, according to CAAM. Belgium, the top buyer of China-made NEVs, imported 103,100 units in the first eleven months of 2021.
Tesla’s Model 3 is the most popular electric car sold in Europe, with sales totaling 113,397 from January to November, according to JATO Dynamics.
SAIC Motor Corp. and BYD Co. are also major NEV exporters in China. Upstarts Xpeng Inc. and Nio Inc. have also started sales overseas.
Contact reporter Han Wei (weihan@caixin.com) and editor Bob Simison (hello@caixin.com)
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