2nd LD-Writethru-China Focus: China's auto market maintains robust growth in January-April

BEIJING, May 12 (Xinhua) -- China's auto output and sales reported double-digit increases in the first four months of the year, indicating vibrant domestic consumption despite global uncertainties.

Auto production stood at nearly 10.18 million units in the period, up 12.9 percent from a year ago, while auto sales rose 10.8 percent to 10.06 million units, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) said Monday.

It was the first time that the country's auto production and sales in the January-April period both surpassed the 10-million-unit mark.

In particular, new energy vehicles (NEVs) posted strong growth. NEV production surged 48.3 percent year on year to nearly 4.43 million units in the first four months, with sales up by 46.2 percent year on year to 4.3 million units.

NEVs accounted for 42.7 percent of total new vehicle sales in China in the period.

Monday's data also showed that the country's auto exports climbed 6 percent year on year to nearly 1.94 million units in the first four months. Notably, NEV exports soared 52.6 percent to 642,000 units.

The CAAM said a combination of macroeconomic policies had strengthened economic recovery this year, laying a solid foundation for the steady development of the auto sector.

The market has also seen more vitality thanks to the country's consumer goods trade-in program, constant upgrades of products and technologies, and stable auto prices, according to the CAAM.

The total number of applications for auto trade-in subsidies in China exceeded 10 million by Sunday, under a mass renewal program initiated in 2024, data from the Ministry of Commerce revealed on Monday.

In 2025 alone, about 3.23 million applications were submitted, of which nearly 1.04 million were made to scrap vehicles, and 2.19 million were made for replacements with auto trade-in subsidies. NEVs accounted for more than 53 percent of all auto trade-ins since the beginning of this year.

In an extended push to encourage spending, China in early January broadened the range of passenger vehicles covered under its trade-in program, which aims to expand domestic demand and shore up the Chinese economy through equipment upgrades and trade-ins of consumer goods. Enditem