Seven years after China launched its pilot program for second-hand car exports, the industry is undergoing a profound "gear-shifting period."
According to a press conference held by the Ministry of Commerce in November 2025, national second-hand car exports are expected to reach 500,000 to 600,000 units in 2025. At the same time, data from the China Automobile Dealers Association shows that the industry's average gross margin has narrowed from 25%–30% (2021–2023) to 5%–10% in 2025.
This is not a simple market fluctuation, but rather a structural challenge that the industry inevitably faces as it transitions from unchecked growth to mature operations.
On June 11, the Second Sichuan Province Second-Hand Car Export Supply-Demand Matchmaking Conference was held in Shuangliu, Chengdu. At the conference, China's first provincial-level overseas integrated service system for second-hand car exports was released, six overseas integrated service stations were inaugurated, and eight national second-hand car export bases signed a collaborative development agreement.
As China's second-hand car exports move from volume expansion to refined deep cultivation in the second half, this matchmaking conference, held in Shuangliu, Chengdu, may well offer a replicable urban model for this transformation.
The Extensive First Half Reaches an Inflection Point
In 2019, the Ministry of Commerce and two other departments launched a pilot program for second-hand car exports, with the first batch of 10 provinces and cities, including Sichuan (Chengdu), selected.
The start was slow. That year, national exports totaled only 3,036 units, of which Sichuan accounted for just 51; in 2020, national exports were 4,322 units, with Sichuan at 120; in 2021, national exports rose to 15,123 units, with a cumulative total of just over 20,000 over three years.
But in 2022, the figure surged to 69,000 units, a year-on-year increase of over 350%. The Russia-Ukraine conflict led European and American brands to cut ties with Russia, and Luo Lei, Vice President of the China Automobile Dealers Association, said, "This made 'smart' Chinese car companies smell an opportunity." Exports took off accordingly, reaching 69,000 units in 2022 and rising to 436,000 units in 2024, with destinations spreading from Russia to Central Asia.
The window of opportunity fueled scale, but also disorder. At the time, very few Chinese car brands had official channels in Russia, so most had to take the second-hand car route. "Zero-kilometer second-hand cars" – nearly new vehicles that had been registered but barely used – surged in exports, bypassing original factory warranties. Market entrants varied greatly in quality, low-price competition seemed endless, and overseas complaints multiplied.
The turning point came in November 2025. The Ministry of Commerce and three other departments jointly issued a notice stipulating that, starting January 1, 2026, vehicles exported within 180 days of registration must be accompanied by a after-sales confirmation letter from the manufacturer; otherwise, export certificates would not be issued. At the same time, a dynamic enterprise management system and a negative list mechanism were established.
Take the China (Sichuan · Shuangliu) Second-Hand Car Export Base (hereinafter referred to as the "Shuangliu Base") as an example: in 2025, it exported 23,000 vehicles with a trade value of 3.01 billion yuan, representing year-on-year growth of over 280% and 200%, respectively. A key change is that new energy second-hand cars now account for nearly 50% of exports from this base. Such vehicles rely far more heavily on overseas maintenance, parts supply, and technical personnel than traditional fuel vehicles, and any service gap becomes glaringly problematic.
The China (Sichuan · Shuangliu) Second-Hand Car Export Base.
At the matchmaking conference on June 11, Alexey Podsekalkin noted that what the Russian side values is not "simple trading" but "deep collaboration covering testing and certification, cross-border logistics, financial insurance, and after-sales support."
This deeply integrated service ecosystem is precisely the key focus of the second half of China's second-hand car exports – and also its weak spot.
The most glaring issue is after-sales service. Luo Lei mentioned a detail: a foreign customer who bought a Chinese second-hand car needed a replacement bumper, "and for just that one bumper, they waited a full year."
Currently, China's overseas second-hand car presence remains fragmented, consisting of scattered showrooms and warehouses. A comprehensive cross-border warranty and after-sales service system has yet to take shape, and battery and electronic control repairs, along with specialized parts supply, lag severely – a shortcoming especially pronounced for new energy vehicles.
A deeper issue lies in standards. Dong Lu, Deputy Director of the Shuangliu District Commerce Bureau in Chengdu, noted that the most difficult challenge is the lack of a cross-border credit and standards system. "Without mutually recognized vehicle condition testing standards across multiple countries, overseas buyers find it hard to build long-term trust in quality." The definition of "excellent condition" varies wildly among companies, and this opacity continuously erodes trust. "This is far more difficult to solve than hardware challenges like reshaping logistics or expanding vehicle sources, and it is also the fundamental bottleneck preventing Shuangliu from transforming from a commodity distribution hub into an industrial brand export powerhouse," Dong Lu said.
Financial settlement is another invisible barrier. Narrow payment channels, high exchange-rate volatility, and cumbersome procedures weigh especially heavily on small and medium-sized car dealers. Luo Lei stated bluntly that it is "a major obstacle to large-scale industry development."
The test for the second half is already on the table: whoever can build a solid service chain overseas will secure a ticket to this huge market.
The Second Sichuan Province Second-Hand Car Export Supply-Demand Matchmaking Conference, with car dealers from multiple countries networking.
Seizing the Beachhead First: Building Overseas Hubs and Full-Chain Services
Entering the second half, Chengdu has decided to seize the service ecosystem.
As one of China's first pilot cities for second-hand car exports, Chengdu launched the nation's first international special train for second-hand car exports in 2019. Over the following years, relying on the China-Europe Railway Express to open up land routes, it integrated customs clearance, logistics, and financial resources.
Seizing the window required a physical platform. In August 2024, the province's first second-hand car export base – the China (Sichuan · Shuangliu) Second-Hand Car Export Base – was inaugurated, establishing a tripartite collaboration model of "government + professional service providers + foreign trade integrated service stations," and setting up the country's first dedicated service window. Dong Lu introduced that the base integrates full-chain resources including vehicle sourcing, compliance testing, and customs clearance logistics, improving business efficiency by 20%.
But the real beachhead move was concentrated at the Second Sichuan Province Second-Hand Car Export Supply-Demand Matchmaking Conference on June 11.
That day, China's first provincial-level overseas integrated service system for second-hand car exports – the Sichuan Province Second-Hand Car Export Overseas Integrated Service System – was officially released, packaging overseas exhibition and sales, warehousing and logistics, and after-sales maintenance into a systematic output. "It fills a key gap in building a full-chain second-hand car circulation ecosystem," Dong Lu said.
As the overseas hubs for this system, the Shuangliu Base's first six overseas integrated service stations were jointly inaugurated, covering key cities along the Belt and Road Initiative, including Tashkent, Moscow, and Bishkek. Wang Xiangyu, General Manager of Yiwei New Energy, the station operator, explained that the stations will "regularly provide policy interpretations on regulations, tariffs, and market access, integrate resources from domestic and overseas car dealers, logistics, testing, and finance, and offer full-process business consulting to enterprises."
At the matchmaking conference, the first six overseas integrated service stations were inaugurated.
In addition, eight national second-hand car export bases signed agreements to collaborate, unifying vehicle testing standards and sharing customs declaration, logistics, financial, and overseas warehousing and maintenance resources. Wang Xiangyu revealed that the next step is to upgrade the Sichuan Vehicle Foreign Trade Public Service Platform, "digitally consolidating vehicle sources from within the province and from collaborating national bases, enabling cross-regional emergency vehicle transfers."
Over seven years, Chinese second-hand cars have traveled from Chengdu to the world. From opening up routes to exporting systems, Chengdu is turning "services" into the new foundation for second-hand car exports.
The whistle for the second half has just blown, and an even larger market lies ahead.
