Used-car export wins wider approval with expanded scale

Jimmy Patrick Ebi, charge d’affaires ad interim of the Embassy of Nigeria in China, is eager to expand the Nigeria-China business.

While meeting the CEO of Chinese company CAR Inc in Beijing, Ebi stressed that with the growth of infrastructure and transport in his country, high-quality used cars from China and professional management will largely contribute to the modernization process of Nigeria's transport industry.

On Feb 3, the Embassy of Nigeria appointed CAR Inc CEO Gao Dewu as Designated Representative of the embassy, and specially invited CAR Inc to become its official designated car rental service provider.

Jimmy Patrick Ebi, Chargé d'Affaires ad interim of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in China, appoints Gao Dewu, CEO of Car Inc, as Designated Representative of the Embassy.

Gao said that the event reflected the Nigerian government’s trust in Chinese automobile circulation system, and his company will contribute to China-Nigeria economic and trade cooperation.

He noted that in the future, CAR Inc looks forward to taking Nigeria as an important fulcrum to promote Chinese used cars from scale-based export to quality-based and service-based export.

Since China initiated the pilot program for used-car exports in 2019, such business has shown strong growth momentum, with Luo Lei, vice-president of the China Automobile Dealers Association (CADA), noting that China’s used-car exports are currently in a golden period due to policy dividends and market explosion.

With over 400 million vehicles in the automotive fleet, a mature supply chain system, and cost-effective model options, China's used-car exports have a solid foundation, Luo said.

Meanwhile, China’s used-car exports also need to forge a collaborative development framework guided by the government, driven by enterprises, and empowered by industrial associations.

By implementing standardized and internationalized service systems, overseas market barriers can be overcome, forming a more competitive global used-car circulation network, he said.

On Nov 14，2025, the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Public Security, and the General Administration of Customs jointly issued a notice on further strengthening the management of used-car exports, which the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) says is of strategic significance in the internationalization of China’s automobile industry.

CAAM said currently, China’s internationalization of automobiles has achieved remarkable results worldwide, with Chinese enterprises placing growing emphasis on overseas market expansion.

In releasing the 2025 automobile export data recently, CAAM said China’s automobile exports reached a record high of 7.098 million units in 2025, marking a 21.1 percent year-on-year hike.

CAR Inc noted that as China’s used-car export scale continued to expand, how to build a sound service guarantee system overseas has become a decisive factor for Chinese enterprises to shift from “going global” to “taking root.”

Gao said that 2025 is an important node for CAR Inc in bolstering used-car exports, with its annual export volume reaching 3,100 units.

He stressed that in the increasingly competitive global used-car market, CAR Inc not only exported high-quality second-hand cars to targeting nations, but also introduced mature testing standards, sales service systems and after-sales experience to the local areas, forming a complete service chain covering vehicle preparation, quality inspection, cross-border logistics, destination delivery and after-sales support.

At present, among the more than 20 countries and regions covered by CAR Inc’s businesses, Nigeria is not only one of the largest export destinations, but also regarded as the most potential core market in the future, Gao said.

The long-term local demand in Nigeria for cost-effective, reliable and durable models is highly consistent with the advantages of Chinese used cars in product structure, service life and supply scale.

The dual recognition of CAR Inc by the Nigerian Embassy in China not only reflected the high affirmation of its comprehensive strength, but also showed the positive attitude of the Nigerian government towards China’s mature automobile circulation and travel service system, Gao said.

Gao said with the continuous growth of China-Nigeria cooperation, CAR Inc will continue to play a leading role in widening businesses in Nigeria and the broader African market, providing a replicable sample for the globalization of China’s used-car industry.