The automotive export figures released at the close of October 2024 indicate that China has increased its lead over Japan, defying tariffs. After achieving a lead in 2023, China expanded its export gap throughout 2024 by meeting international standards and by addressing key market opportunities.

Capturing much attention, China’s automotive exports have given the Asian country a significant lead over Japan, which held the title of the world's largest vehicle exporter for nearly five decades until last year.

China exported 5.22 million vehicles in 2023, out numbering Japan’s vehicle exports at 4.42 million units. Between January 2024 and September 2024, China exported 4.7 million units. Japan, on the other hand, shipped 3.06 million units.

While Japan’s vehicle exports declined by four percent in the period between January 2024 and September 2024, China’s vehicle exports grew by a good 26.7 percent year-on-year.

The factors that are said to have contributed to a rise in vehicle exports by China are an outlook for new opportunities the world over against a saturating domestic market. The other reason is the significant uptick in electric vehicle adoption at 38.6 percent.

Chinese companies like BYD have found a strong hold in export markets of Europe despite tariffs. This Chinese electric vehicle company has smartly moved up in valuation as compared to Tesla of USA.

Increasingly aligning with international demand, Chinese vehicular exports have come to include competitively priced SUVs and technologically advanced EVs that rival European and US counterparts in quality and appeal.

What is perhaps very interesting is how China's export reach has shifted in the last few years. From focusing on Africa and less-developed regions, Chinese automakers have come to target higher-income, densely populated countries in other continents to ensure a significant export growth.

EVs clearly remain a stronghold, accounting for a substantial chunk of the export volume. The Asian country exported 1.77 million EVs in 2023. This accounted for over 30 percent of its total vehicle exports.

The first nine months of 2024 saw EV exports from China accounting for 1.524 million units, representing 32.4 percent of all auto exports – a 22 percent increase from the same period last year.

Among the export markets that Chinese vehicle manufacturers have targeted are in Europe, Asia, Central and South America and the Middle East.

To counter tariffs, Chinese vehicle manufacturers are luring buyers in the overseas markets by providing cost-effective, feature-rich vehicles interestingly.

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Toyota Kirloskar Motor, one of the leading passenger vehicle manufacturers, has finally announced the price of its first battery-electric vehicle in India, the Urban Cruiser Ebella.

The vehicle has debuted in its E3 specification at INR 23,60,000 (ex-showroom), forming part of the manufacturer's strategy to introduce diversified powertrain options.

The EV features a front-mounted electric motor powered by a 61 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, developed on a platform shared with Suzuki's e Vitara. The powertrain produces a power output of 128 kW and 189 Nm of torque. It connects to both AC and DC fast-charging networks, managed via the i-Connect telematics system, which allows users to monitor battery status, schedule charging and control thermal pre-conditioning through a smartphone application.

The model utilises Toyota's design philosophy, featuring a hammerhead front fascia, an aerodynamic profile, LED lighting, dual-tone exterior options and 18-inch alloy wheels. The interior houses a digital cockpit that integrates a 10.25-inch instrument combi-meter and a 10.1-inch central touchscreen supporting wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Cabin features include ventilated front seats, a 12-colour ambient lighting system, sliding and reclining rear seats, a panoramic roof, and a JBL sound system. The vehicle is distributed across five monotone and four dual-tone paint finishes.

Built on a steel body shell designed to shield the under-floor battery module from impacts, the vehicle includes seven airbags as standard equipment. It incorporates a Level 2 Advanced Driver Assistance System suite that includes adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, lane departure warning, and rear cross-traffic alerts, alongside a 360-degree surround-view camera network.

The Toyota Urban Cruiser Ebella comes with an 8-year battery warranty and a buyback scheme. Buyers can choose a Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS) procurement framework to separate the vehicle purchase price from battery ownership. For maintenance, the company has equipped more than 500 service touchpoints nationwide with diagnostic tools and charging hardware, employing over 2,500 technicians to deliver a 45-minute maintenance turnaround.

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Tesla has expanded its product footprint in India with the official introduction of the 2026 Model Y Premium Rear-Wheel Drive variant. The launch follows the domestic release of the three-row Model Y L six-seater last month, building out the automaker's direct-to-consumer retail strategy in the country.

The new rear-wheel-drive variant is priced at INR 50,89,000 (ex-showroom), with customer deliveries scheduled to commence in July 2026. To lower the barrier to entry for the premium electric segment, Tesla has paired the launch with a financing structure featuring a down payment of INR 600,000 and monthly EMI options starting from INR 39,990.

The Model Y Premium Rear-Wheel Drive relies on a rear-axle permanent magnet motor setup engineered for immediate torque response, including a claimed acceleration from zero to 100 kmph in 5.9 seconds, up to 500 km on a single charge under the WLTP testing cycle and 2,138 litres of total utility space accessible via power-folding rear seats.

The platform shares its structural safety architecture with the larger Model Y L variant. Both body configurations have secured maximum safety ratings from international crash-testing and safety evaluation authorities, including the NHTSA and IIHS in North America, Euro NCAP in Europe, ANCAP in Australia and New Zealand, and the C-IASI in China.

The interior of the Premium variant introduces hardware adjustments and revised aesthetics designed to elevate cabin ergonomics. The dashboard upgrades to a larger 16-inch first-row touchscreen console. The unit features a higher-resolution panel and an optimised user interface to speed up access to climate controls, navigation maps and media streaming.

The cabin debuts a standard all-black theme incorporating a blacked-out headliner and dark premium trim accents. Alternatively, buyers can configure the vehicle with a minimalist Zen Grey interior layout.

Tesla operates a direct-to-consumer retail and after-sales service model in India, bypassing traditional third-party dealership franchises. Orders are processed via the company's dedicated digital portal, supported by physical flagship locations. Active customer experience, service and delivery hubs include: Mumbai, Delhi, Gurugram and Bengaluru.

To support vehicle charging logistics, the company is deploying its Home Charging Program across all Indian states alongside continued investments into a localised, high-capacity public fast-charging network.

Isabel Fan, Senior Director at Tesla, said, “Tesla's mission is to build a world of amazing abundance. Tesla enables the use of electric vehicles by increasing the accessibility of Tesla technology and providing charging solutions around people’s lifestyles. Tesla will keep investing in the country to create a seamless EV experience in India, with more retail coverage, aftersales services and charging locations are coming soon."

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V-Green, the electric vehicle charging infrastructure arm of Vietnam's Vingroup ecosystem, has entered into a strategic partnership with Indian charge point operator ChargeZone to develop a dedicated charging network.

The initiative marks the first co-branded charging partnership for Vingroup's automotive brand, VinFast, as it expands its footprint in the Indian market.

The collaboration has already commissioned and made operational its first 15 charging stations. The inaugural site was launched at the Mangla Trade Hub in Vadodara, Gujarat, situated adjacent to an authorised VinFast dealership. The facility is equipped with a 60 kW DC dual-gun fast charger capable of powering two electric vehicles simultaneously.

Under the terms of the agreement, V-Green will assist with geographic site identification and deployment mapping. ChargeZone will maintain full ownership of the end-to-end operations, technical maintenance and power management across all co-branded locations.

The companies have outlined an immediate expansion roadmap to deploy nearly 100 additional co-branded charging stations across key national transit corridors over the next 6 months.

V-Green operates globally as part of the Vingroup corporate network, which includes EV manufacturer VinFast and green mobility platform GSM. ChargeZone manages one of India’s largest automated EV charging networks, focusing on high-speed B2B and B2C highway charging infrastructure.

Kartikey Hariyani, Founder & CEO, ChargeZone, said, “This partnership with V-Green is a strong validation of the infrastructure model ChargeZone has built, where charging is planned as an integral part of the EV ownership and mobility experience. ChargeZone has spent years building the operational depth and technology backbone to deliver that promise at scale and this collaboration brings that capability to life across VinFast’s customer charging network. The co-branded charging network is designed to address one of the most important factors influencing EV adoption today: dependable and accessible charging infrastructure beyond the point of purchase. As EV adoption accelerates in India, partnerships like these will be critical in building charging networks that are dependable, accessible and integrated into the broader mobility ecosystem.”

Nguyen Nam Tien, CEO, V-Green, commented, "The partnership between V-Green India and ChargeZone marks a significant step in strengthening India’s EV ecosystem. By expanding reliable charging touchpoints for VinFast customers and the wider EV community, we are enabling seamless mobility, accelerating EV adoption, and building confidence in sustainable transportation across the country."

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Jio-bp, the retail energy brand under Reliance BP Mobility and a joint venture between Reliance Industries and bp, has entered into a strategic mobility partnership with the Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) to develop dedicated electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure for a fleet of more than 100 public transit electric buses.

The infrastructure and fleet-charging services will be deployed through Jio-bp pulse, the joint venture's specialised electric mobility division. The rollout will be structured across six key transportation clusters intersecting intercity transit corridors between Uttar Pradesh and Delhi.

The project is scheduled to begin installation phases over the coming months to establish high-capacity, industrial-grade DC fast-charging bays at designated state transport depots and hubs. The fast-charging layouts are engineered to minimise vehicle turnaround windows and optimise operational scheduling for high-frequency public transport routing.

The interstate bus fleet initiative expands Jio-bp pulse's growing business-to-business (B2B) institutional charging portfolio.

At present, the company operates an active national footprint of more than 6,000 EV charging points distributed across 75 Indian cities, servicing commercial logistics providers, corporate car pools, public mass transit systems and passenger vehicle segments.

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