New energy vehicles are pictured at a smart factory of Changan Auto in Chongqing, southwest China, Jan. 9, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
Chinese automakers are ramping up efforts to ship vehicles overseas, exploring growth while navigating uncertainties and policy changes in the global automotive market.
The new energy vehicle startup Xpeng shipped the first batch of 300 right-hand drive X9 MPVs overseas on Feb 22. The vehicles will mainly be sent to the Southeast Asian market, with Thailand a key destination.
Xpeng is the first startup to achieve deliveries of more than 10,000 vehicles in Europe and has topped the sales charts among NEV startups in markets such as the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway.
CEO He Xiaopeng said that the company aims to cover 60 countries and regions, and set up more than 300 overseas service centers by 2025; rank among the top three in Chinese auto exports by 2027; and achieve half its sales from overseas by 2033.
"Xpeng will also bring China's powerful intelligent driving to the global market. We hope that when overseas car owners first encounter Chinese NEVs, they will be impressed by the 'intelligent and technological leadership' rather than just a monotonous and joyless vehicle," He said.
A day after the Xpeng shipment, SAIC Motor's NEV marque IM Motor dispatched the overseas version of its LS6 from Shanghai to Thailand. It is scheduled for launch at the Bangkok International Motor Show on March 24.