The main conclusion from CAAM statistics is that China has not just retained the title of the largest car market, but has consolidated a structural shift: growth is provided simultaneously by the scale of domestic demand and export expansion, and the core of technological dynamics is shifting towards cars powered by new energy sources (NEV).
According to CAAM, the NEV segment added almost a "third" in 2025: production reached 16.626 million, sales - 16.49 million (growth of +29% and +28.2%). This is no longer a niche, but a parallel market of comparable scale that is changing supply chains, from raw materials and batteries to port capacity and a specialized fleet for transporting cars.
Exports are particularly significant: they exceeded 7 million vehicles, while NEV exports amounted to 2.615 million. In practical logistics, this means increased pressure on Ro-Ro capacities, pre-sale terminals (PDI), insurance, and final delivery to dealer networks abroad. Importing countries are increasingly demanding not only certification and warranty infrastructure, but also the predictability of shipments in batches, which increases the role of contract logistics and "long" freight plans for the coming quarters.
A separate intrigue of 2025 is the strengthening of the positions of national brands: their share of sales, according to CAAM, increased to 69.5%. For foreign trade, this translates into a more aggressive pricing policy and faster model update cycles: component suppliers and carriers have to work with more frequent SKU changes, and importers have to rebuild spare parts matrices more quickly.
CAAM formulates a key assessment of the industry's sustainability through the market's ability to grow against the backdrop of price competition and cooling in certain categories.
"In 2025, China's automotive industry continued to demonstrate high resilience and resilience. A number of indicators in this area have reached new highs," said Chen Shihua, Deputy Executive Secretary of CAAM.
Among the growth factors, he highlights the fleet renewal program (trade-in), the expansion of the model range and stable demand. In the language of foreign economic activity, it looks like this: internal incentives support the utilization of factories, while exports "pick up" volumes and allow manufacturers to scale output. Then the competition begins on routes and ports.: whoever builds logistics and after-sales service faster will gain a foothold in foreign markets.
