Check yourself
Can you name the five countries that export the most cars, by share of world exports? Any order.
Germany has the largest share, well ahead of Japan. China is third, South Korea fourth and Mexico fifth, with the United States so close behind in sixth that the two look level in the table.
The five largest exporters of cars
| Rank | Country | % of world exports | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany | 17.9 | 2024 |
| 2 | Japan | 11.5 | 2024 |
| 3 | China | 9.8 | 2024 |
| 4 | South Korea | 7.0 | 2024 |
| 5 | Mexico | 6.7 | 2024 |
World goods exports of HS 8703: motor cars and other vehicles built mainly to carry people
Data: The Atlas of Economic Complexity, Growth Lab at Harvard University (CC0).
Germany earns more from car exports than China does
Germany has between a sixth and a fifth of world car exports by value, well ahead of Japan, home to Toyota, Honda and Nissan. The ranking counts money, not vehicles. China now ships more cars abroad than any other country when they are counted one by one, but many are cheaper models, while Volkswagen, BMW and Mercedes-Benz sell higher-priced cars all over the world.
Mexico holds fifth place by a margin one release could erase
Mexico is fifth and the United States sixth, only just behind. Mexico's car plants, many owned by American, Japanese and German firms, build mainly for buyers in the United States. The United Kingdom is eighth, behind Spain, with most of its car exports coming from Jaguar Land Rover, Nissan in Sunderland and Mini in Oxford.
A ranking by value measures price as well as quantity
When you use trade figures as evidence, say whether they count value or volume. Germany leads car exports by value and China by number of vehicles, and the gap between the two measures is the difference in average price. Use it to show that competing on quality and brand is a different strategy from competing on cost.