Saudi Arabia, UAE among top 5 importers of Chinese cars

Data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers showed that China exported a total of 5.834 million vehicles between January and November 2024, up 22.5 percent year-on-year, and exceeding the export volume for the whole of 2023. This figure highlights that the volume of China’s car exports has set a new record, according to the Chinese Xinhua Agency.

Chinese cars have witnessed wide demand in the markets of North America, the Middle East and Europe, with Mexico, the UAE, Belgium and Saudi Arabia ranking second to fifth among the most prominent destinations, each importing between 242.4 thousand and 422.2 thousand cars, according to the Xinhua Agency.

According to data from the China Automobile Dealers Association’s Passenger Car Market Information Sub-Association, Russia maintained its position as China’s largest car market, with exports to the country reaching 1.06 million units in the first 11 months of 2024, up 26% year-on-year, accounting for more than 18% of China’s total car exports.

Chinese car exports were previously concentrated in emerging markets such as Africa and South America, but destinations have begun to shift to Europe and other developed markets, as China’s auto industry continues to make technological progress, especially in the field of new energy, which has strengthened its global leadership and was accompanied by growth in export volume and sales prices.

During the period from January to November 2024, China exported 1.86 million new energy vehicles, with Belgium, Brazil, Britain, Thailand and the Philippines topping the list of the top five destinations for these vehicles.

Cui Dongshu, secretary-general of the China Passenger Car Association, attributed the growth in Chinese auto exports to the industry’s ability to withstand fluctuations in the global supply chain, in addition to the high quality of products, the efforts made by local companies, and the expansion of markets such as Russia despite the uncertainty caused by geopolitical factors.