China dethroned Japan as the world's leading automobile exporter last year. Japanese manufacturers exported 4.42 million cars, trucks and buses in 2023.
Chinese automobile exports represented 4.91 million units last year, according to CAAM. One in three vehicles exported from China was electric (1.77 million units, +67.1% over one year), again according to the country's customs. The European Commission opened an investigation last September into alleged illegal subsidies from Beijing to Chinese electric manufacturers.