Chinese automakers’ August sales figures released September 1 showed exports emerging as the decisive competitive factor, led by BYD’s 440,293 new energy vehicle deliveries, up 17.8% year over year, including a record roughly 189,500 units shipped overseas for a 42.9% export ratio. Chery, Geely, Great Wall and SAIC also posted export-heavy results, while Leapmotor retained the new-energy-vehicle startup lead with 103,129 global deliveries and remained the only profitable startup in the first half. Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance was the sole major brand among the leading pack to post a year-over-year decline. The same day, China’s commerce, industry and market regulators issued guidelines on overseas automotive competition conduct and compliance, signaling a shift from scale-driven globalization toward quality-focused, deep-rooted local operations. Domestic demand remains under pressure from price competition, weaker incentives and thin industry margins of 3.6% in the first seven months, leaving overseas volume and profit elasticity as key variables for future positioning. BYD’s first-half overseas revenue had already exceeded Greater China revenue for the first time, though the company remains below the delivery pace needed for its 5 million-to-5.5 million annual target and faces tariffs, localization requirements and foreign-exchange losses.