Shanghai Leads China’s Car Exports with 1.28M Vehicles Shipped in H1 2025

Shanghai, July 18, 2025 — In the first half of 2025, Shanghai ports exported 1.275 million vehicles, up 13% year-on-year and accounting for 36.7% of China’s total auto exports — securing its spot as the country’s top car export hub.

A key growth driver is the expansion of the Yangtze River–Sea intermodal model to inland cities like Chongqing. This new logistics route reduces costs by ¥1,500 per vehicle and cuts clearance time by over 50%, offering inland automakers a faster and cheaper path to global markets.

Shanghai’s Haitong Ro-Ro Terminal, China’s largest, now connects to 131 countries, with 2–3 car carriers departing daily. Major automakers like Changan, SERES, and Chery are rapidly scaling exports. Chery alone exported over 550,000 units in H1 — one out of every five Chinese cars sold overseas.

As infrastructure improves and global demand for EVs grows, Shanghai is set to power the next phase of China’s automotive export boom.