China's auto production, sales rank first globally for 17th consecutive year

This photo taken on July 28, 2025 shows a view of China Changan Automobile Group's digital and intelligent factory for the new energy vehicle AVATR in Southwest China's Chongqing municipality. [Photo/Xinhua]

China's automobile production and sales reached 34.53 million units and 34.4 million units, respectively, in 2025 — up 10.4 percent and 9.4 percent year-on-year — both hitting record highs and ranking first globally for the 17th consecutive year, according to the latest data released on Wednesday by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

New energy vehicles accounted for more than 16 million units in both production and sales, representing over 50 percent of the total, emerging as a dominant force in the market, CAAM data showed.

The stronger-than-expected growth was mainly attributed to the expanded implementation of the large-scale equipment renewal and consumer goods trade-in stimulus in 2025, the intensive rollout of new models by automakers, and the continued release of pent-up terminal demand, Chen Shihua, deputy secretary-general of CAAM, said.

Looking ahead to 2026, with the "two new" policies being carried out in a steady and orderly manner — alongside additional measures to accelerate the green transformation of production and consumption — market expectations are expected to stabilize further, providing sustained support for automotive sales, Chen said.