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China surpassed Japan as the world’s largest vehicle exporter in 2018, thanks to its dominant position in the electric car market, according to official data.
Figures released by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association showed that Japan exported 4.42 million cars, trucks, and buses last year, a 16% increase from the previous year.
However, China exported 4.91 million vehicles in total, as reported by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. China’s customs bureau put the number even higher at 5.22 million, with a 57% year-on-year increase.
One in three of these exported vehicles were fully electric. Japanese automakers have traditionally focused on hybrid models, while Chinese firms have taken the lead in the electric vehicle market.
Chinese EV manufacturers, such as BYD, have been able to gain momentum in the market with the help of strong government support. Chinese automakers have also faced scrutiny and potential regulatory action due to concerns of unfair competition in Western markets.
BYD has announced plans to build more factories abroad to ease these concerns, including a $600m plant in Brazil and another facility in Hungary.
