On July 2, Chery officially announced that the group's cumulative exports of automobiles exceeded 5 million. Behind the numbers, it means the birth of a new historical coordinate - Chery became the first automaker in China to export more than 5 million vehicles. This is not only a milestone for a company, but also an "industry business card" handed out by Anhui's manufacturing industry to the world, and also reflects the globalization advancement of Chinese automobiles from "following" to "leading".

Chery's "three steps" to brave the world

In 2001, Samir, a car dealer from Syria, fell in love at first sight with the Chery "Fengyun" sedan exhibited at the exhibition. After the auto show, he chased all the way to Wuhu and found Yin Tongyue, chairman of Chery Automobile, hoping to promote the export of "Fengyun". Yin Tongyue and Samir, who were in a meeting, stood on the street and talked for 10 minutes. In just 10 minutes, the first batch of 10 Chery "Fengyun" cars were confirmed to be exported to Syria, which kicked off Chery's "going out" and also created a precedent for China's mass export of cars.

At that time, when the first batch of Chery Fengyun cars sailed to Syria, the total annual export volume of Chinese cars was less than 30,000. At that time, Chery, like a small boat in Anhui's manufacturing industry, took the lead in breaking into the stormy waves of the international market.

From 10 to 5 million, Chery completed a "geometric leap" in 25 years. Behind Chery's going with the trend and setting sail, it has gone through three stages of development:

The first step is to "knock on the door" with quality and "go out" with products. At the Chery Longshan Test Center, there are nearly 200 flags hanging, each representing a conquered market access standard. In 2024 alone, more than 1,500 real cars were crash tested here, becoming a safety barrier for Chery to build a "moat" for going overseas.

The second step is to export technology and "go in" overseas. In Brazil, in order to adapt to local oil requirements, Chery has designed and developed a dual-fuel engine that can use gasoline and ethanol; in Europe, the first product of Chery's joint venture with Spain's EV MOTORS, the EBRO brand S700, will roll off the assembly line in 2024, realizing the first production of complete vehicles in Europe by a Chinese independent brand, creating a new era from product output to technical standard output.

The third step is to make the brand move upward and become bigger and stronger. From the release of the "Global Hybrid Technology Standard Declaration" to the transformation from a "technology follower" to a "standard setter", and then to signing a contract with Nanyang Technological University in Singapore to help the first overseas station of Kaiyang Laboratory land, Chery's "localization strategy" and open source cooperation have not only made its "circle of friends" bigger and bigger, but also accelerated Chery's high-quality overseas and globalization strategy, allowing "Anhui manufacturing" to gradually evolve into "world smart manufacturing".

From "going out" to "going in" and then to "going up", Chery has explored a path for Chinese auto brands to grow rapidly and enter the world with its "three steps" of daring to be the first and taking a unique approach.

"Anhui" wind is blowing strongly and "auto" is booming

In Yin Tongyue's view, deep participation in globalization is a major opportunity for China's automobile industry to become bigger and stronger, and it is also the only way to achieve a strong automobile country. As of the end of June this year, Chery Group has accumulated more than 16.98 million global users and exported to nearly 120 countries and regions around the world.

Behind the cumulative export exceeding "5 million" is the continuous growth of Chery's quantity and the continuous refresh of "Chery speed": on November 12, 2024, Chery's annual export exceeded 1 million vehicles for the first time, creating the fastest record of Chinese automakers to achieve one million exports in a year; in 2024, Chery exported 1.1446 million vehicles, which means that on average, a "Chery-made" vehicle is delivered to overseas users every 27 seconds; from 2004 to the present, Chery has ranked first in the export of Chinese brand passenger cars for 22 consecutive years.

Chery's acceleration is exactly the epitome of the "chain formation" of Anhui's automobile industry. In 2024, Anhui's automobile exports ranked first in the country with 954,000 vehicles. One out of every four exported vehicles is "made in Anhui". Anhui is becoming a new force in car manufacturing in the national and even global automobile industry. Chery's leading role in this is self-evident.

In recent years, Anhui has strongly supported and promoted local auto companies to deepen their global strategic layout and accelerate the process of brand internationalization. Behind this report card, we can not only get a glimpse of the current situation of Anhui's automobile industry shifting gears, accelerating and booming, but also show Anhui's strategic deployment and positioning of the automobile industry as the "first industry". In the grand journey of the "Anhui Army" of automobiles to innovation and wisdom, Chery not only carries the vision of Anhui from a large automobile province to a strong automobile province, but also deeply integrates into the tide of global automobile industry pattern adjustment with the real "Chery speed".

The "New Navigation Age" of Chinese Automobiles

"Every Chery car should be made into a moving 'golden signboard', so that global users will love Chinese cars, trust Chinese cars, and choose Chinese cars!" Yin Tongyue once happily delivered a speech. Today, Chery's constantly breaking records are making this sentence meaningful: it not only tells Chery's strategic goal, but also predicts the "future" of Chinese cars chasing the world.

In 2023, China will become the world's largest automobile exporter for the first time; in 2024, when Chery delivers one car to overseas users every 27 seconds, China's automobile exports will rank first in the world for two consecutive years. On this magnificent "navigation map", Anhui's coordinates are particularly eye-catching - here there is not only the accumulation of traditional manufacturing industry, but also the vigorous growth of "new quality productivity".

"For complete vehicle products to go global, our winning magic weapon is to work hard, promote product iteration and enhance competitiveness through continuous independent innovation." Yin Tongyue's words may reveal the core proposition of China's automobile "age of navigation". When the 5 millionth Chery car left the port, the world saw not only a car, but also the transformation and upgrading path of China's automobile industry - this road starts in Wuhu, starts in Anhui, and leads to the world.