“Chinese people no longer blindly believe in imported cars! In July, only 43,000 imported cars were sold, while exports soared to 1.09 million.”
In July 2026, the export volume of Chinese cars reached 1.092 million units, a 2.2% increase from the previous month and a 57.5% year-on-year rise; during the same period, imports were only 43,000 units, a 13% decline from the previous year, with the import-export ratio reaching 25:1. From January to July, the cumulative export volume was 6.399 million units, a 53.7% year-on-year increase; the cumulative import volume was 240,000 units, a 11% year-on-year decrease. New energy vehicles accounted for the largest increase in exports, with 540,000 units exported in July, a 85% year-on-year rise. Among them, Chery exceeded 200,000 units exported in a single month, BYD had 410,600 units (of which 173,700 were exported), and Geely exceeded 100,000 units exported for two consecutive months. The destinations of exports included the CIS, Southeast Asia, the EU and the UK, Africa, and North America. There was a significant structural decline in imports: retail imports in July were only 27,000 units, a 40% drop from the previous year. High-value four-wheel-drive SUVs and pure electric and hybrid models saw significant declines. Japan remained the largest source of imports, and the share of luxury brands continued to decrease.