1. The Boom in Auto Exports

In past years, when people talked about Chinese manufacturing going global, they often thought of smartphones, home appliances, and furniture. But now, a much larger category is heading overseas—automobiles.

This June, China’s auto exports reached a major milestone. Data shows that China’s monthly auto exports surpassed one million units for the first time, hitting 1.037 million units, a year-on-year increase of 75.1%, with new energy vehicles accounting for over half of the total.

This signals that China’s auto exports have entered an acceleration phase, with new energy vehicles becoming the biggest growth driver.

Many Chinese auto brands are venturing overseas and performing quite well. Taking BYD as an example, in the just-concluded June, BYD’s overseas sales surged 94.7% year-on-year, reaching 175,000 units in a single month, a new historical high. To date, BYD’s overseas sales have accounted for 43.4% of its total sales.

In the past, Chinese automakers primarily leveraged supply chain and cost advantages to open up markets; now, smart driving, battery technology, and manufacturing capabilities are becoming new advantages for Chinese cars entering the global market.

More importantly, China’s auto industry is also deeply participating in setting global rules. Recently, news came from the 199th session of the UN World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (UN/WP.29): A global unified technical regulation for Automated Driving Systems (ADS GTR), jointly developed by China, the EU, Japan, the US, and others, was officially released.

This marks the first unified technical framework for L3 and higher autonomous driving globally. For Chinese automakers, this means having a voice at the standard-setting stage, helping reduce the technical modification and time costs caused by differing standards when adapting to overseas markets later on.

2. Sparking the Entire Industry Chain

There’s a saying in the auto industry: selling a car is just the beginning; the next decade is when the industry chain truly reaps the rewards.

Once a car enters an overseas market, its real value generation cycle doesn’t end with the sale: maintenance, repairs, upgrades, accessories, and charging will all generate sustained demand.

For cross-border sellers, selling complementary products may be a better direction, because cars are large enough to spawn countless niche demands.

Of course, this space has also given rise to many super players; Shenzhen Autel Technology Co., Ltd. is a prime example. As a global leader in intelligent vehicle diagnostics, the company recently re-submitted its listing application to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, planning to list on the Main Board. If it successfully passes this time, it would achieve a dual "A+H" platform.

Furthermore, there are massive opportunities in everyday automotive products, such as car sunshades, high-pressure car wash guns, car cameras, car decorations, and in-car organizers. These products share certain characteristics: stable demand, clear usage scenarios, and suitability for content marketing.

Auto supplies are not a traditional shelf e-commerce business. If the right scenario-based presentation is found, they can also achieve traffic explosions through content. Nowadays, on interest-based e-commerce platforms like TikTok, automotive products are becoming a new viral trend.

For instance, in the TikTok US market this year, an interior rearview mirror product from the cross-border store LumenCore quickly went viral through short video demonstrations, selling over 6,800 units in a single month, with a GMV nearing one million RMB.

In summary, new energy vehicles are not only rapidly opening up overseas markets but are also redefining the category boundaries of cross-border e-commerce. For cross-border sellers, the next growth opportunity may well lie within the automotive industry chain.

Seller Home Review

China’s auto exports surpassing one million units for the first time marks the formation of a new track characterized by high average transaction value and strong supply chain barriers. Cross-border sellers should pay attention to auto parts, in-car accessories, and the after-sales market, laying out the complementary product supply chain in advance to seize this wave of overseas opportunities.

Source: E-commerce Pai
Original link: https://www.pai.com.cn/p/01kx5nhhaj086p18bmncth0scf