By Kate Yuan

(JW Insights) Aug 9 -- China’s auto exports topped the world for the first time ever in the first half of the year by beating Japan, Business Korea reported on August 7.

Automobile exports by major Chinese companies rose 76 percent to 2.14 million units in the first half of this year from the same period of 2022, according to data of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM). This eclipsed Japan’s auto exports (2.02 million units) in the same period, said the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association. This marked the first time China’s auto exports have surpassed Japan’s.

China’s auto exports have been driven by increased sales of new energy-powered vehicles, including electric vehicles. In the first half of this year, China exported 534,000 new energy-powered vehicles (electric, hydrogen, and hybrid vehicles), up 160 percent from the same period of 2022 and accounting for 25 percent of all exported vehicles.

Tesla, with a factory in Shanghai, China, exported more than 180,000 units, and BYD sold more than 80,000 units overseas, said the report by Business Korea.