China's NEV pioneer looks to the future

More recent data provide additional context. China's NEV exports reached 2.909 million in the first seven months of 2026, up 120 percent year-on-year, according to official industry data.

BloombergNEF expected 23.3 million passenger EVs to be sold globally in 2026, an 11 percent increase from 2025.

For an industry that serves both domestic and international markets, production numbers alone don't tell the whole story.

Wan emphasized that the next phase of growth should focus on better products, clearer market positioning and stronger service rather than simply increasing volume.

Wan is equally direct about the next stage overseas.

Chinese automakers, he said, should establish local production bases to better navigate trade barriers and build the after-sales, marketing and training systems needed for long-term operations.

He pointed out that overseas service networks remain an area where Chinese brands have room for improvement.

The direction is already visible. Trade barriers and industrial policies are pushing more Chinese automakers toward local production in overseas markets.

The shift is increasingly visible in Southeast Asia, with Thailand and Indonesia among the markets building deeper local EV manufacturing capabilities.

For Wan, overseas production and service are part of the same task: Chinese automakers need to understand local customers and build stronger local capabilities rather than rely only on vehicle exports.

The technology roadmap also remains open.

Wan said: "Pure EVs are a long-term solution, but plug-in hybrid EVs, including extended-range models, will retain a substantial role. Pure EVs could eventually account for about 65 to 70 percent of the combined market for the two technologies, with plug-in hybrids taking about 30 to 35 percent."

On solid-state batteries, Wan is cautious about dramatic claims on range and charging speed. The key questions, he said, are whether difficult materials and engineering problems can be solved and whether the technology makes economic sense. He expects large-scale industrialization around 2030.

That timetable is broadly consistent with recent industry assessments.

McKinsey said commercial-scale production of all-solid-state batteries is unlikely until after 2030, with manufacturing hurdles around interfaces, yields, performance, longevity and cost still to be overcome.

Wan also sees hydrogen fuel cells playing a role in commercial vehicles and intelligent connected vehicles as another important direction for the industry.

Twenty-five years after China's major EV project began, the basic question is no longer whether China can build a globally competitive EV industry.

The next challenge, as Wan described it, is to improve quality and services, foster healthier competition, advance new technologies and build stronger businesses overseas.

He summed up the role he hopes China's NEV industry will play globally in three words: collaborator, pioneer and leader.

China should encourage its automakers to expand overseas while continuing to welcome foreign companies to invest and innovate in the Chinese market, he said.

The miniature ship in Wan's office remains a fitting symbol. China's EV industry is no longer exploring an empty field. It is navigating a larger global market — with more opportunities still ahead.

XINHUA