Chinese manufacturers export over 15,000 electric buses

In 2024 as a whole, 15,444 new-energy buses were exported from China, representing growth of more than a quarter compared to the previous year. As with NEV cars, BYD is the leading manufacturer.

According to the portal China Bus, the export volume of NEV buses increased by 28.3 per cent to 15,444 units. However, these statistics include all buses over 3.5 metres in length, including not only city and intercity buses but also minibuses. No further differentiation is made between drive types; in China, vehicles with battery-electric drives, plug-in hybrids and fuel cell drives are categorised as ‘new energy vehicles’. There is also no differentiation according to export markets or regions – so it is not known where the NEV buses from China were sold.

However, there is an insight into the course of the year: In the first eleven months, growth averaged 25.3 per cent – so a very strong December with 2,361 NEV buses exported (+47.9 per cent compared to December 2023) helped to achieve the 28.3 per cent for the year as a whole. Among the manufacturers, Yutong led the way in December with 807 exported vehicles.

However, BYD was the manufacturer with the most NEV buses exported over the year: The company was able to deliver 3,582 electrified buses outside of China, making it the only manufacturer to export more than 3,000 units. China Bus emphasises that BYD has consistently led the export statistics for NEV buses since the beginning of 2024 – while the top spot for monthly sales figures including China has changed constantly. BYD therefore has a strong position in exports.

Behind BYD, Yutong Bus with 2,700 vehicles and Higer Bus with 1,897 units took second and third place in the export statistics. Yutong was able to increase its foreign sales by 84.5 per cent in 2024, Higer Bus by 49.1 per cent. That was enough to move up from fourth to third place over the year.

However, it is unlikely that this trio will remain at the top: According to the analysis, Dongfeng Special Automobile and CRRC Electric Vehicle had significantly higher growth rates of 525 and 366 per cent respectively. This was probably still due to the low starting point from the previous year. However, if these companies can continue to multiply their exports, this should provide momentum among NEV bus manufacturers.

chinabus.org