CHINA a became the world leader in automobile exports in the first six months of 2023, surpassing Japan for the first time as more Chinese electric cars were sold worldwide, reports Nikkei Asia.

Chinese car makers exported 2.14 million units from January to June, up 76 per cent year on year, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM). Japan came in at 2.02 million, for a gain of 17 per cent, according to Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association.

China was already ahead of Japan in the January-March quarter. Its export growth owes much to a booming trade in EVs and gains in the European and Russian markets.

China's exports of new energy vehicles, which include EVs, plug-in hybrids and fuel cell vehicles, more than doubled in the January-June half to reach 25 per cent of the country's total auto exports. Tesla, which uses its Shanghai plant as an export hub for Asia, exported more than 180,000 vehicles, while its leading Chinese rival BYD logged exports of more than 80,000 autos.