Nearly 30% of all Chery cars made have made its way outside of its home market.
The Chery Group has recently crossed a significant milestone in its global journey, by becoming the first Chinese automotive brand to export over five million vehicles. As of July 31st, the group reported a global user base of 17.18 million, with more than 5.17 million of them based outside of China.
In July 2025, Chery recorded 224,439 vehicle sales globally, representing a 14.7% year-on-year increase. Out of this total, 119,090 units were shipped overseas, marking a substantial 31.9% growth compared to the same month last year.
For the first seven months of 2025, Chery’s cumulative global sales reached 1,484,563 vehicles, reflecting a 14.5% increase year-on-year. Exports made up 669,360 units during this period, further solidifying Chery’s status as China’s top vehicle exporter by volume.
Malaysia in particular has emerged as one of Chery’s most successful international markets. The revived brand achieved the notable feat of becoming the fifth best-selling marque locally in 2024, trailing only the national stalwarts Perodua and Proton, as well as global giants Toyota and Honda. Perhaps even more impressively, the Jaecoo J7 cracked into the national top charts as the 15th best-selling car in Malaysia in June 2025, outperforming well-established rivals like the Toyota Corolla Cross and Honda HR-V.
At present, three Chery-affiliated brands operate in Malaysia: the mainline Chery, the newly merged Omoda Jaecoo, and the soon-to-launch iCaur. Industry insiders have also picked up on mounting signs that the Lepas sub-brand could soon make its local debut, with recent marketing teasers pointing to an announcement that may be just around the corner.
It must be noted though that while Chery currently leads in export volumes, its dominance is increasingly being challenged by fast-rising rival BYD. In the first half of 2025 alone after all, BYD’s export volume surged by an astounding 118.2% year-on-year, driven largely by the continued global appetite for electric vehicles.
According to BYD’s general manager of brand and public relations, Li Yunfei, the automaker was the best-selling brand in seven overseas markets during the first half of the year. These markets included Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Spain, Italy, and Brazil.
In Hong Kong and Singapore, BYD took the overall sales crown over there, delivering 4,909 and 4,667 units respectively. In Thailand, BYD moved 24,072 vehicles in H1 2025, up 64.1% year-on-year, and a figure nearly four times higher than its closest competitor, MG.
In Indonesia, BYD continued its momentum with 14,092 vehicles sold in the first six months of the year, handily surpassing Chery in that market. Its premium sub-brand Denza added another 5,733 units, bringing BYD’s total sales in Indonesia to 19,825 vehicles for H1 2025 — solidifying its lead in the local NEV space.
