Electric vehicle giant Tesla substantially aided China’s achievement as the largest car exporter worldwide in the first quarter of 2023.
China advanced as the global leader for the first time in history following Tesla’s production ramp-up in Gigafactory Shanghai.
Originally, Germany and Japan led in exports, while internal combustion engines were the only type of vehicle that dominated the automobile industry. However, the demand for clean energy vehicles is increasingly expanding as governments and automakers strive to hit their net zero emission targets. In effect, it rapidly advanced China’s position in the global export industry.
China’s exports in Q1 2023
The world’s largest auto market recorded 1.07 million vehicle exports in Q1 2023, the latest data from the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China reveals. Notably, that figure indicates a 58% increase in the country’s exports from the same period last year.
In contrast, Japan reported exports of 954,185 units, representing a YoY growth of 6% (via BBS). In hindsight, China overthrew Germany in the world’s second-largest car exporter position in 2022.
Undoubtedly, the electric vehicle transition has boosted China’s auto industry. New energy vehicle exports, including EVs, grew 90% YoY in Q1 2023, Tesmanian noted. It must be noted that major electric automakers such as Tesla, SAIC, and BYD largely contributed to this substantial growth.
See Also:
- Tesla exported 40,479 vehicles from the Shanghai plant, delivered 33,923 in China in February’23
- Tesla China readying huge fleets of Model 3 and Model Y to export
- European demand causes China’s EV exports to skyrocket
- Tesla sales and exports to China increased in November 2022
- Tesla reported remarkable EV sales growth in March in China
As mentioned, Chinese exports reached 1.07 million units. Meanwhile, Japan only recorded 955,000 car exports, short of 115,000 units compared to China.
On the other hand, Tesla’s Giga Shanghai contributed 92,000 vehicles in China’s overall export in Q1 2023. Remarkably, that figure almost matched the difference that advanced China into the first spot against Japan.
As of now, the Giga Shanghai has a 1.25 million unit production capacity, with the potential to further expand soon.
