China's Car Exports Surpass Full-Year 2025 Record in Just Eight Months, Driven by EV Surge

China's Association of Automobile Manufacturers data released September 10, 2026 showed the country exported 6.2 million passenger vehicles in the first eight months of 2026, already exceeding the roughly 6.1 million passenger cars exported in all of 2025. August exports alone jumped 67.1% year-on-year to about 890,000 units, with growth increasingly powered by electrification: exports of new energy vehicles (battery-electric plus plug-in hybrid) surged 154.7% in August versus a year earlier and made up 58.4% of all Chinese car exports that month. S&P Global Ratings projects 50-70% full-year export growth, putting China on pace to export roughly 9 million vehicles -- including more than 4.5 million NEVs, which alone would exceed the total car exports of any other single nation -- even as domestic Chinese car sales fell 25.6% year-on-year in August amid a soft home market.