Changsha Customs announced on August 21 that in the first seven months, Hunan exported 193,000 automobiles, an increase of 61.3% over the same period last year, setting a new record in growth rate. The export value reached 24.4 billion CNY, increasing by 29.6%. Among them, 81,000 electric vehicles were exported with a total value of 8.42 billion CNY, up 48.1% and 15.3% year on year respectively.
 
Geely's automobile manufacturing base in Xiangtan has been bustling with activity in recent days. Brand-new vehicles are loaded onto the Hunan-Guangdong-Africa rail-sea intermodal trains in an orderly manner, bound for overseas markets such as Malaysia and the UAE. In the first seven months, Xiangtan exported 99,000 vehicles, an increase of 141.6%, accounting for more than half of Hunan's total auto exports during the same period. Changsha had the highest export value, exporting 70,000 vehicles worth 15.19 billion CNY, accounting for more than 60% of Hunan's total auto export value during the same period. Huaihua had the fastest export growth, soaring 201.8-fold to 17,000 vehicles, with the export value surging 113.4-fold to 1.43 billion CNY.
 
Driven by key automakers, Hunan's auto export market shows a diversified pattern. ASEAN is Hunan's largest export destination, with the auto exports to ASEAN reaching 6.35 billion CNY in the first seven months, up 15% and accounting for 26% of the total. Among the ASEAN countries, auto exports to Malaysia and the Philippines doubled. During the same period, exports to Russia and Belarus increased by 180% and 160% respectively, while those to African countries reached 2.14 billion CNY, up 110%.

"Chinese automakers are accelerating their shift from simple trade-based exports to global operations," said an official from the Changsha Customs Authority. Many automakers have established overseas factories and operation centers to localize the entire chain of R&D, production, and sales, and also, in order to address tariff barriers and to integrate deeply into local economies. Some established joint ventures with local partners, leveraging their overseas dealer network and logistics system to explore low-cost, high-efficiency paths to globalization. This new "integrated" approach not only makes products more adaptable to local markets, but also helps boost local employment and tax revenues, marking a leap from "selling products" to "creating value."

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

Translator: Pang Yuehui

Chinese source: hunan.gov.cn