Hunan exported 101,000 vehicles in 2023, an increase of 162.3% over the previous year. The total export value registered 19.36 billion CNY, up 118% year on year, the Changsha Customs Authority said on February 3, 2024.

Private enterprises have become the "main force" of Hunan automobile exports. Their exported vehicles climbed by 167.1% year on year to 97,000 last year, accounting for 95.2% of the provincial total. Belarus, Saudi Arabia, and Malaysia were major export markets of Hunan automobiles, whose export volume doubled. Hunan's automobile exports to Kyrgyzstan surged rapidly, with a year-on-year increase of more than 40 times. "Automobiles Made in Hunan" have gradually become popular in the economies involved in the "Belt and Road" Initiative.

Hunan has been in a leading position in research, development, and manufacturing of the three key components of new energy vehicle (NEV) industry, namely electric motor, electric control, and battery, analyzed the Changsha Customs Authority. The NEV IGBT of the Zhuzhou CRRC Times Electric Co., Ltd. and the Changsha BYD Semiconductor Co., Ltd., and the NEV drive electromotor of the CRRC Zhuzhou Electric Co., Ltd. boasted the international advanced level. The increasingly perfect R&D and manufacturing industrial chain of Hunan automobile has greatly enhanced its competitiveness in the international market.

Yueyang's first direct shipping route to Russia has opened up a new channel for Hunan's automobile exports. The route links to Russia, Belarus, and Central Asian and European countries and regions. Since its opening in July, Hunan Province has exported 2,456 own-brand cars through the direct route from Yueyang to Russia, with an export value of 220 million CNY.

The new "joint supervision" model has also boosted the growth of Hunan NEV exports. In last November, the Changsha Customs Authority was authorized to implement the certification of packaging for NEV batteries on the spot to export NEVs based on the tailor-made model for the first time. Under the new model, the NEVs produced by the Changsha BYD and their automotive lithium-ion batteries can be exported directly from Changsha.

Translator: Yu Jiangjiang

Chinese source: Voice of Hunan