Chinese drivers stopped buying cars, so China’s automakers shipped them abroad: exports are up 64% while domestic sales fell 27%

Chinese automakers saw their domestic passenger car sales fall 27% in September while their exports surged 64% over the same period. China exported around 919,000 passenger vehicles in September and over 7.1 million in the first nine months of 2026, up more than 70% year-on-year. Facing weakness in the domestic market, Chinese manufacturers are now targeting export markets including Europe, Latin America, Southeast Asia and Africa. The European Union has decided to cap Chinese hybrid vehicle imports at 350,000 units per year, excluding vehicles produced in Europe by Chinese companies. Analysts at AlixPartners forecast that Chinese automakers will export nearly 10 million vehicles globally in 2026.

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