Gasgoo.com (Shanghai) - One of the major topics of debate in the Chinese automobile industry is the potential of domestic own brand manufacturers to successfully expand into foreign markets. According to statistics posted by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, China exported a total of 486,800 automobiles in the first half of 2013. 294,300 of those exports were of passenger automobiles, up 2.3 percent from the previous year. China Association of Automobile Manufacturers Deputy Secretary General Dong Yang pointed out that Chinese car export volumes in the first half of the year outperformed expectations.

Growth rates in Chinese automobile exports have been changing very drastically as of late. In 2012, as domestic car sales continued to flounder, own brand and joint venture manufacturers begun turning their eyes towards foreign markets. As a result, export growth rates reached new highs, with the total export volume for the year exceeding one million units. In contrast, the domestic market has been a lot more promising over the first half of this year, while export sales fell nearly one percent.