China automotive globalization / New forces
● Research database

AUTO GLOBAL CHINA / NEW FORCES

New forces: six overseas trajectories

2018–2025 · Official exports, registrations and coverage floors remain distinct. Missing data is not zero.

远航指数 Auto Global China

2018—2025 · 6 NEW-ENERGY AUTOMAKERS

Six global tracks. Four evidence types.

Eight years of overseas market evidence for NIO, XPENG, Li Auto, AITO, Xiaomi EV and Leapmotor—layering official exports, market registrations and verified coverage floors without hiding methodology breaks.

67,052Leapmotor official exports, 2025
45,008XPENG official overseas deliveries, 2025
96%XPENG overseas delivery growth
8Consecutive observation years
Read the scope first

The six companies do not share one uniform disclosure basis: Leapmotor and XPENG report global overseas volume; NIO supports only a MarkLines coverage floor; Li Auto, AITO and Xiaomi are observed mainly through Russian registrations. Unlike scopes are never added, and blanks are never turned into zero.

01 · Eight-year trend

One timeline, evidence intact.

Toggle companies and switch between linear and logarithmic scales to inspect both breakout growth and early small-volume registrations. Hover or select a year to update the detail below.

Observed overseas salesLine styles encode evidence basis
2025
017.5k35k52.5k70k20182019202020212022202320242025Overseas sales / registrations (units)Year
Official globalOfficial-derived / lower boundMarket registrations
NIOLower bound
1,875 units+6.1%

Ex-mainland-China markets covered by MarkLines (verified lower bound)

Company scope includes 1,680 NIO-brand units and 195 firefly units.
XPENGOfficial global
45,008 units+96.0%

Global overseas deliveries

Official company disclosure, up 96% year over year.
Li AutoRegistrations
13,105 units-43.6%

Russian new-car registrations (including parallel imports)

Down about 45% YoY; the company entered three overseas markets only in December and did not disclose a volume split.
AITORegistrations
2,355 units0.0%

Russian new-car registrations (including parallel imports)

Combined AITO/SERES registrations, essentially flat versus 2024.
Xiaomi EVRegistrations
705 units+293.9%

Russian new-car registrations (including parallel imports)

Russia parallel-import registrations; not manufacturer overseas deliveries.
LeapmotorOfficial global
67,052 units+388.5%

Global overseas exports

Official disclosure, up 388.5% year over year.

02 · Trend readout

Breakout, pullback, and market testing.

The readout calculates changes only within a consistent basis; it does not force year-over-year comparisons when a series switches from regional floors to global exports.

01 · LEAPMOTOR4.9×

Leapmotor reaches scaled exports

Official exports rose from 13,726 in 2024 to 67,052 in 2025, up 388.5% and the largest 2025 absolute volume among the six.

02 · XPENG+96%

XPENG establishes a global series

Official overseas deliveries reached 45,008 in 2025; the disclosed growth rate implies approximately 22,963 in 2024.

03 · LI AUTO−43.6%

Li Auto’s Russia registrations retreat

Russia registrations fell from 23,219 in 2024 to 13,105 in 2025; official expansion began only in December 2025, with no disclosed volume split.

04 · NIO / AITO / XIAOMIDivergence

Overseas presence is not official exports

NIO’s covered-market series weakened after a 2023 peak; AITO Russia registrations were flat in 2025; Xiaomi Russia registrations nearly quadrupled, but remained entirely unofficial-channel volume.

03 · Data & audit

Forty-eight annual cells, each traceable.

The table preserves exact integers, statistical scope, evidence status and source IDs. Download the CSV for R, Python, Tableau or Power BI.

6 × 8 = 48 recordsDownload bilingual CSV ↓
CompanyYearOverseas sales / registrationsEvidence statusScopeSourceNote
NIO20180None observedEx-mainland-China markets covered by MarkLines (verified lower bound)ML-EXCNNo registrations observed in covered markets.
NIO20190None observedEx-mainland-China markets covered by MarkLines (verified lower bound)ML-EXCNNo registrations observed in covered markets.
NIO20200None observedEx-mainland-China markets covered by MarkLines (verified lower bound)ML-EXCNNIO had not started European deliveries.
NIO2021201Lower boundEx-mainland-China markets covered by MarkLines (verified lower bound)ML-EXCNPrimarily the first Norway deliveries.
NIO20221,207Lower boundEx-mainland-China markets covered by MarkLines (verified lower bound)ML-EXCNNorway accounts for the great majority of registrations.
NIO20232,417Lower boundEx-mainland-China markets covered by MarkLines (verified lower bound)ML-EXCNObserved covered-market volume reached a period peak.
NIO20241,767Lower boundEx-mainland-China markets covered by MarkLines (verified lower bound)ML-EXCNThe company did not disclose a global overseas delivery split.
NIO20251,875Lower boundEx-mainland-China markets covered by MarkLines (verified lower bound)ML-EXCNCompany scope includes 1,680 NIO-brand units and 195 firefly units.
XPENG20180None observedEx-mainland-China markets covered by MarkLines (verified lower bound)ML-EXCNOverseas deliveries had not begun.
XPENG20190None observedEx-mainland-China markets covered by MarkLines (verified lower bound)ML-EXCNOverseas deliveries had not begun.
XPENG202087Lower boundEx-mainland-China markets covered by MarkLines (verified lower bound)ML-EXCNIncludes 86 Norway registrations and one in Ukraine.
XPENG2021490Lower boundEx-mainland-China markets covered by MarkLines (verified lower bound)ML-EXCNIncludes 474 units in Norway.
XPENG2022771Lower boundEx-mainland-China markets covered by MarkLines (verified lower bound)ML-EXCNCovered-market registration lower bound.
XPENG20232,064Lower boundEx-mainland-China markets covered by MarkLines (verified lower bound)ML-EXCNCovered-market lower bound; not all overseas markets are covered.
XPENG202422,963Official-derivedGlobal overseas deliveries (back-calculated from official YoY, approximate)XP-2025Back-calculated as 45,008 ÷ 1.96; approximate because the 96% growth rate is rounded.
XPENG202545,008Official globalGlobal overseas deliveriesXP-2025Official company disclosure, up 96% year over year.
Li Auto20180None observedRussian new-car registrations (including parallel imports)LI-RUNo Russia registrations observed.
Li Auto20190None observedRussian new-car registrations (including parallel imports)LI-RUNo Russia registrations observed.
Li Auto20200None observedRussian new-car registrations (including parallel imports)LI-RUNo Russia registrations observed.
Li Auto20210None observedRussian new-car registrations (including parallel imports)LI-RUNo Russia registrations observed.
Li Auto202224RegistrationsRussian new-car registrations (including parallel imports)LI-RUAll arrived through alternative/parallel-import channels.
Li Auto20234,692RegistrationsRussian new-car registrations (including parallel imports)LI-RUAll arrived through alternative/parallel-import channels.
Li Auto202423,219RegistrationsRussian new-car registrations (including parallel imports)LI-RURussia registrations peaked; this is not an official company overseas-delivery measure.
Li Auto202513,105RegistrationsRussian new-car registrations (including parallel imports)LI-RU-2025Down about 45% YoY; the company entered three overseas markets only in December and did not disclose a volume split.
AITO2018—N/ABrand not yet launchedAITO-LAUNCHThe AITO brand did not yet exist.
AITO2019—N/ABrand not yet launchedAITO-LAUNCHThe AITO brand did not yet exist.
AITO2020—N/ABrand not yet launchedAITO-LAUNCHThe AITO brand did not yet exist.
AITO20210None observedRussian new-car registrations (including parallel imports)AITO-RU-2024The brand launched late in the year; no Russia registrations observed.
AITO20220None observedRussian new-car registrations (including parallel imports)AITO-RU-2024No Russia registrations observed.
AITO2023142RegistrationsRussian new-car registrations (including parallel imports)AITO-RU-2024Parallel-import registrations before the official market launch.
AITO20242,356RegistrationsRussian new-car registrations (including parallel imports)AITO-RU-2024Sum of monthly registrations; official sales began on 18 April, but cannot be separated from parallel imports.
AITO20252,355RegistrationsRussian new-car registrations (including parallel imports)AITO-RU-2025Combined AITO/SERES registrations, essentially flat versus 2024.
Xiaomi EV2018—N/AAutomotive deliveries had not begunMI-OFFICIALXiaomi EV deliveries had not begun.
Xiaomi EV2019—N/AAutomotive deliveries had not begunMI-OFFICIALXiaomi EV deliveries had not begun.
Xiaomi EV2020—N/AAutomotive deliveries had not begunMI-OFFICIALXiaomi EV deliveries had not begun.
Xiaomi EV2021—N/AAutomotive deliveries had not begunMI-OFFICIALXiaomi EV deliveries had not begun.
Xiaomi EV2022—N/AAutomotive deliveries had not begunMI-OFFICIALXiaomi EV deliveries had not begun.
Xiaomi EV2023—N/AAutomotive deliveries had not begunMI-OFFICIALIts first production vehicle had not yet begun deliveries.
Xiaomi EV2024179RegistrationsRussian new-car registrations (including parallel imports)MI-RURussia parallel-import registrations; Xiaomi officially sold only in mainland China.
Xiaomi EV2025705RegistrationsRussian new-car registrations (including parallel imports)MI-RURussia parallel-import registrations; not manufacturer overseas deliveries.
Leapmotor20180None observedEx-mainland-China markets covered by MarkLines (verified lower bound)ML-EXCNNo registrations observed in covered markets.
Leapmotor20190None observedEx-mainland-China markets covered by MarkLines (verified lower bound)ML-EXCNNo registrations observed in covered markets.
Leapmotor20200None observedEx-mainland-China markets covered by MarkLines (verified lower bound)ML-EXCNNo registrations observed in covered markets.
Leapmotor20211Lower boundEx-mainland-China markets covered by MarkLines (verified lower bound)ML-EXCNOne registration observed in Russia.
Leapmotor202263Lower boundEx-mainland-China markets covered by MarkLines (verified lower bound)ML-EXCN58 units in Israel and five in Russia.
Leapmotor20231,355Lower boundEx-mainland-China markets covered by MarkLines (verified lower bound)ML-EXCNRegistration lower bound across France, Israel, Türkiye and other markets.
Leapmotor202413,726Official globalGlobal overseas exportsLM-2024Official disclosure; not directly comparable with the 2023 MarkLines lower bound.
Leapmotor202567,052Official globalGlobal overseas exportsLM-2025Official disclosure, up 388.5% year over year.

04 · Method & sources

Before completeness, protect comparability.

Updated 26 August 2026. Company and exchange filings take priority; gaps use the user-provided MarkLines workbook and national registration statistics with explicit coverage boundaries.

01

No cross-basis totals

Global exports, single-country registrations and covered-market floors cannot be added, so the page does not publish a six-company total.

02

Zero, blank and floor are distinct

Zero means no observed volume in the covered scope; blank means the brand or deliveries were not active; a lower bound means true global volume is at least that value.

03

Parallel imports stay visible

Li Auto, AITO and Xiaomi registrations in Russia reflect real customer uptake, but are not equivalent to official manufacturer overseas deliveries.

ML-EXCN
User-provided MarkLines “sales (with adjustments)” source workbook

Aggregated across ex-mainland-China markets covered by the source; a verified lower bound, not complete global sales.

User-provided local data
XP-2025
XPENG 2025 overseas deliveries announcement (HKEX)

Reports 45,008 overseas deliveries in 2025, up 96% YoY. The 2024 value is back-calculated and rounded.

Open source ↗
LM-2024
Leapmotor 2024 annual report

Reports 13,726 overseas exports by year-end; official European sales began on 24 September 2024.

Open source ↗
LM-2025
Leapmotor 2025 annual results

Reports 67,052 exports in 2025.

Open source ↗
LI-RU
Russian new-car registrations (Autostat)

Provides a consistent 2022–2024 Li Auto Russia series; vehicles mainly arrived via alternative/parallel-import channels.

Open source ↗
LI-RU-2025
Autostat cross-check for Li Auto Russia sales in 2025

Reports 13,105 units in 2025, down about 45% from 2024.

Open source ↗
LI-OFFICIAL
Li Auto 2025 annual results

The company entered Egypt, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan in December 2025, but did not disclose market-level volume.

Open source ↗
AITO-RU-2024
AITO monthly Russia registrations (Chinese Cars / Autostat basis)

The twelve monthly observations sum to 2,356 units; AITO and SERES badging coexist and official versus parallel imports cannot be separated.

Open source ↗
AITO-RU-2025
Russia AITO/SERES 2025 registration cross-check (Drom)

Reports 2,355 combined AITO/SERES units in 2025.

Open source ↗
AITO-LAUNCH
AITO SERES official Russia distributor first-year review

Official market launch was 18 April 2024; cumulative customers exceeded 2,700 by April 2025.

Open source ↗
MI-RU
Xiaomi EV Russia registrations (Autostat cross-check)

Reports 179 units in 2024 and 705 in 2025; these are not official Xiaomi overseas sales.

Open source ↗
MI-OFFICIAL
Xiaomi Global product-availability notice

Xiaomi states the displayed products are currently available only in mainland China.

Open source ↗