Chinese EV makers surge abroad as Hyundai Motor Group holds fourth with 370,000 units

The global electric vehicle market outside China grew more than 30 percent in the first half of this year, with Chinese automakers standing out for the speed of their overseas expansion. Hyundai Motor and Kia lifted sales by more than 20 percent to hold fourth place, but fell short of the overall market growth rate, leaving their combined share slightly lower.

According to SNE Research, global EV deliveries — including both battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids — outside China reached about 4.598 million units in the January-June period, up 30.3 percent from about 3.529 million units a year earlier. That far outpaced the 5.5 percent growth rate recorded for the global EV market as a whole over the same period.

Volkswagen Group led all automakers, delivering 635,000 units in the first half, a 7.6 percent increase from a year earlier. It could not keep pace with the broader market's expansion, however, and its share fell 2.9 percentage points to 13.8 percent from 16.7 percent.

Tesla held second place with 599,000 units, up 31.0 percent, keeping its share steady at 13.0 percent. BYD ranked third with 497,000 units, surging 81.4 percent and lifting its share from 7.8 percent to 10.8 percent.

Hyundai Motor and Kia combined for 370,000 units to finish fourth. Sales rose 25.9 percent from a year earlier, but that trailed the 30.3 percent average growth rate for markets outside China, nudging their combined share down 0.3 percentage points to 8.0 percent from 8.3 percent. A recovery in European EV sales and an expanded electrification lineup drove the gains, but Chinese automakers grew faster.

The Chinese advance extended well beyond BYD. Geely delivered 296,000 units, up 47.0 percent, while Chery jumped 350.7 percent to 201,000 units, rapidly broadening its overseas sales base through export brands including Omoda and Jaecoo. By contrast, BMW managed only a 3.8 percent increase to 268,000 units, and Stellantis fell 5.7 percent to 246,000 units.

Regional trends diverged sharply. Europe accounted for about 2.528 million units, up 29.0 percent, representing 55.0 percent of the non-China EV market. Asia excluding China was the fastest-growing region, with 933,000 units — a 75.8 percent increase — pushing its share from 15.0 percent to 20.3 percent, driven by new model launches and expanded local production, particularly in India and Thailand.

North America moved in the opposite direction, with deliveries falling 20.5 percent to 681,000 units. Its share tumbled 9.5 percentage points to 14.8 percent from 24.3 percent. Analysts attributed the decline to the expiration of US EV tax credits, high vehicle prices and model changeovers at some manufacturers.