Since the beginning of this year, Hunan's automobile exports have shown strong momentum. Recently, the Changsha Customs Authority announced that in the first four months of this year, Hunan exported 87,000 vehicles, an increase of 42.7% compared to the same period last year. The total export value reached 11.28 billion CNY, up 22.3%.

Electric vehicle exports are growing rapidly, with plug-in hybrid passenger vehicles being the most popular overseas. In the first four months, Hunan exported 38,000 electric vehicles, up 59.4%, accounting for 43.5% of the province's total vehicle exports. The export value reached 3.47 billion CNY, up 33.9%, accounting for 30.8% of the province's total vehicle export value.

Malaysia, Belarus, and Brazil are the top three export markets. In the first four months, the province exported 19,000 vehicles to Malaysia, up 108.1%; 18,000 vehicles to Belarus, up 76.5%; and 16,000 vehicles to Brazil, up 246.3%.

The pace of global expansion by Hunan automakers is accelerating. In the first four months, Hunan's vehicle exports to Africa grew by 141.7%. The plant established by the Geely Auto Group and the Auto Mobility in Africa achieved an annual production capacity of 10,000 vehicles in 2025, with plans to localize more than 50% of components by 2026. Benefiting from tariff reduction policies under the RCEP agreement, the cost of exporting vehicles to ASEAN has significantly decreased, and in the first four months, Hunan's vehicle exports to ASEAN grew by 60.9%. Notably, in April, BYD surpassed brands such as Volkswagen and Fiat to top the retail sales charts in Brazil, and in the first four months, the BYD Changsha plant's electric vehicle exports to Brazil increased by 170.2%.

Changsha and Xiangtan account for the major share of the province's vehicle exports, with the two cities' combined vehicle exports reaching 10.15 billion CNY in the first four months, representing 90% of the total. Among them, Xiangtan exported 41,000 vehicles, up 63.8%, accounting for 47.4%. Xiangtan saw the largest export volume in the province. A spokesperson for Hunan Geely Automobile International Corporation noted that with strong support from customs facilitation policies and the well-developed automotive supply chain in Xiangtan, the company is accelerating its focus on three core markets: ASEAN, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East, and plans to add three to five new overseas distribution outlets this year.

This article is from Hunan Provincial Government. www.enghunan.gov.cn.  

Translator: Xiao Juan

Chinese source: hunantoday