China's vehicle exports grew sevenfold in five years
Vehicles exported per year by the five biggest car-exporting countries, 2020–2025, in millions.
China exported 7.1 million vehicles in 2025, up from under 1 million in 2020.
China now ships 70% more vehicles abroad than Japan, the leader until 2022.
Germany, Korea and Mexico exported about as much in 2025 as in 2023. Japan fell 6%.
the numbers
| Year | China (m) | Japan (m) | Mexico (light vehicles) (m) | Germany (passenger cars) (m) | South Korea (m) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 1.00 | 3.74 | 2.68 | 2.65 | 1.89 |
| 2021 | 2.02 | 3.82 | 2.71 | 2.37 | 2.05 |
| 2022 | 3.11 | 3.81 | 2.87 | 2.65 | 2.31 |
| 2023 | 4.91 | 4.42 | 3.30 | 3.11 | 2.76 |
| 2024 | 5.86 | 4.22 | 3.48 | 3.18 | 2.78 |
| 2025 | 7.10 | 4.17 | 3.39 | 3.18 | 2.74 |
source notes & method
Definitions differ: China, Japan and Korea count all vehicles (cars, trucks, buses); Germany counts passenger cars only; Mexico counts light vehicles. China = CAAM enterprise data (2025: 7.098m); Chinese customs counts 8.32m for 2025 incl. used and other categories. Korea figures are rounded ministry totals (2.74m in 2025). Japan and China values via SteelOrbis, China Daily, SCMP and AP quoting JAMA/CAAM; Germany from VDA annual table; Mexico from INEGI December bulletins. 2025 Mexico value preliminary.
Published 2 Oct 2026
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