by FAN Yicheng
When rows of Chery vehicles were loaded onto container ships at Wuhu Port in Anhui late last month for a two-month journey to Belgium, the moment signaled a broader shift in China's auto industry. The inland province, long outside the country's coastal export hubs, has quickly grown into one of China's busiest centers for outbound vehicle shipments.
Government data show Anhui exported more than 1 million vehicles in the first 11 months of the year — a record for the province. Wuhu alone shipped 839,000, up 27.4 per cent from a year earlier, while nearly 300,000 of Anhui's exports were new-energy vehicles headed to Europe, Latin America and the Middle East. The province now supplies vehicles to 156 countries and regions, a reach that rivals far larger coastal manufacturing bases.
Anhui's rise reflects a reshaping of China's auto industry map. Over the past decade, the province has built a concentrated manufacturing cluster that includes Chery, Nio, Volkswagen Anhui, BYD Hefei and JAC, supported by more than 4,000 component and aftermarket suppliers. Provincial records show 20 companies now each export more than US$100 million in auto-related goods. Total vehicle and parts exports have climbed from 14.4 billion yuan (about US$2 billion) in 2020 to 125.9 billion yuan (about US$18 billion) last year.
Chery remains the driver of this momentum. The company exported 137,000 vehicles in November, up 30.3 per cent, marking its seventh consecutive month above 100,000 units. From January to November, exports reached 1.199 million, a 14.7 per cent increase. A company executive told Jiemian News that Chery's overseas strategy is built around a "1+7+N" R&D structure — one headquarters, seven regional centers and multiple satellite teams — enabling faster adaptation to local markets and regulations.
Anhui's growth has also been supported by targeted improvements to overcome the limits of its inland location. Wuhu has expanded multimodal transport links, added factory-to-port corridors and introduced direct-to-vessel loading to shorten wait times. Local officials estimate these steps save Chery about 40 million yuan a year in logistics costs. They say 23 export-related infrastructure upgrades — including rail spurs and port-access roads — have been completed to handle rising volumes.
To secure maritime capacity, the province commissioned three 7,000-car roll-on/roll-off vessels, giving Anhui more than 200,000 deep-sea export slots a year — an uncommon setup for a province without a coastline. Customs authorities have introduced faster clearance for new-energy vehicles and for China–Europe freight trains to accommodate the growing flow of shipments.
Anhui has also stepped up overseas promotion. Under its "Go Global Anhui" initiative, the province organized group exhibitions at industry events in Paris and Mexico City, helping local automakers and suppliers reach buyers in Europe, Russia, Latin America and the Middle East. A policy package issued last year by 18 provincial departments aims to streamline export procedures and support companies building sales and service networks abroad.
With vehicle exports already above the one-million mark and production continuing to rise, Anhui is on track to rank first nationwide this year in total vehicle output, new-energy vehicle production and auto exports. Its rapid ascent shows how inland manufacturing clusters — once peripheral to China's export economy — are now becoming significant players in the country's global automotive push.
