BEIJING
China’s carmakers are hunting for their own Yaris moment – the kind of locally tailored breakthrough that helped Toyota conquer Europe – as they race to turn booming exports into lasting overseas growth.
After early attempts that largely involved exporting China-designed cars with minor tweaks, automakers are now re-engineering vehicles from the ground up for foreign buyers, driven as much by fierce margin pressure at home as by opportunity abroad.
China’s overcrowded domestic market has been locked in a bruising price war for years, leaving many manufacturers struggling to make money. Overseas markets, by contrast, offer room to grow – and to charge more – if Chinese brands can persuade consumers they understand local tastes.
Major carmakers including BYD, Chery, Changan, SAIC’s, MG brand and FAW’s premium Hongqi all have models in the pipeline designed specifically for export markets – from small hatchbacks for Europe to pickup trucks for Australia and Mexico.
At home, Chinese automakers cram cars with technology and sell them cheaply to compete. In Western markets such as Europe, they can often sell at double the price and still undercut established brands.
At the Beijing Auto Show in late April, Hongqi unveiled a small global SUV targeted for sale in 80 countries. But the vehicle was primarily designed for urban European buyers, design chief Giles Taylor told Reuters.
That’s the reason why that car exists, Taylor said. BYD’s Dolphin G hatchback was designed specifically for Europe and will launch in June. Stella Li, the electric vehicle maker’s No. 2 executive, said the model was critical because hatchbacks account for more than 40% of new car sales in parts of southern Europe – a segment that barely exists in China.
For many Chinese carmakers, exports are a matter of survival as analysts predict consolidation will thin an industry crowded with more than 100 manufacturers. Vehicle sales in China are expected to remain flat or decline.
That excess capacity has already helped make China the world’s largest vehicle exporter, overtaking Japan in 2024.
Gartner analyst Pedro Pacheco described the push to design cars for export as Chinese automakers’ Yaris moment, referring to Toyota’s Yaris hatchback, designed in Europe for European buyers and credited with helping the Japanese carmaker gain a foothold on the continent after its 1999 launch.